


Akame Ga Kill: Prelude

by Ron_of_Wolves



Series: Beginnings [1]
Category: Akame ga Kill!
Genre: Adventure, Ambition, Multi, warfare
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-07
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2018-07-12 23:38:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 104,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7128656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ron_of_Wolves/pseuds/Ron_of_Wolves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ambition: a strong desire to do or to achieve something, typically requiring determination and hard work and the . Men have founded lands, conquered empires, and tried reforging their country with this trait stronger than all others. Now, in a warring land with kingdoms aiming for power, two men with such traits will rise to the call. Takes place during the rise of the first emperor.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Yo, first time I'm tossing a story up in here and needless to say I'm happy I found it can be used similarly to fanfiction.  I have this story made 13 chapters in, which I'll be posting two every week while I work on rewriting them, including this one since I've yet to fix the problems I have on it.  After they're all up, however, they'll only come one every few weeks since it takes a lot of time to write them.  If anyone wants to read up to how far I've got it at the moment, however, then hop over to fanfiction.net and type in the title.  

So, without further ado, here's the story.  Hope you enjoy it.

* * *

 

_-The Past-_

the red glow of morning seemed to surround a city as a cloaked figure walked along the desolation of it, the area looking as if it had been a mass slaughter throughout every street and corner. He had been searching through this place for the past hour to try and find any sign of life, or any hint of a pattern within the event. The more he searched, the more dead he came across, and the more gruesome it became as he went into the more populated areas of the city. As he stopped momentarily in his search, he felt a presence seem to pull itself into his mind. **_'I see that you've finally fallen out of your own trance.'_ ** came a voice as the figure looked around the place again, a pale orange glow coming from his eyes. **_'Strange, isn't it, you were fighting to stop them from harming these people, but in the process you caused more damage than they could even imagine.'_**

"Why didn't you stop it?" a figure simply uttered spoke as the cloak seemed to dissipate on them to reveal their body, their body clad in black armor as a pair of red eyes shone from it's shadow as the presence seemed to move to it, the figure's gaze looking over the decimated city. "Why didn't you force a take over and stop me from doing all of this?"

The city, or what remained, seeped with smoke as the figure looked around it, slashes covering the walls of the buildings around them along with blood that seemed to have splattered yards around, showing the clear signs of battle as he heard the entity continue. _**'Your rage was too great, and even if I tried, you would've just found something else to unleash your blind fury in the**_ **future. _'_** the voice echoed in their head, their own gaze turning from the decimation and walking off. _**'I warned you of the consequences of these powers if you used them untempered, and of the decimation they would bring if you left your emotions unchecked.'**_

"And you don't need to remind me." the figure spoke, their gaze glowing orange as they began to fade into their own shadow, a red sun rising behind them. It was too late for mourning these people now, too late to try and do anything to help this city. The damage had already been done even before he had started searching through it. All because of his own actions... But he still had to carry on. "I cannot deny the blame I have, nor can I deny the fact that I caused the deaths of all those here. I can, however, live so that what the dreams of those who trusted me will become a reality, and make sure none of them died in vain."

_-present time-_

A man awoke with a start, his gaze in a state of panic as he looked around his surroundings. He was in a lush forest, surrounded by trees and his body resting on a bush that held a group of white berries upon it. He pulled himself up as he started checking around him, soon finding a sheathed dagger with a black handle that he picked up, setting it on his side as he turned and began walking through the forest. He then stood up as he analyzed the trees around him: each of them looked similar to different kinds, some looking like oak, some like pine, while some had variations of both and he couldn't exactly pinpoint. All in all, however, it seemed like an unfamiliar area as he started to move slowly through it, his hearing catching the sounds of some different animals as he moved along the treeline.

 _'Well then, let's hope that I made it, Myrkr.'_ the man thought as his gaze moved through the forest, soon hearing something similar to drums as he walked towards what looked like a clearing, his left hand resting on the dagger's hilt as he moved through the trees, pushing against them to get his pace to quicken. He was getting steadily closer to the edge of the clearing when he caught his foot on a root and tripped, both of his hands rising up almost instinctively and smashing into the ground, stopping him from face planting on the grass currently staring him dead in the face. The drumming was louder now, making him look up from his position as he stumbled back up, seeing what looked to be a village that looked medieval in design, yet massive in magnitude, making the man smile as he started walking towards it. He then looked down at his attire, his military uniform looking to be ok for the most part, albeit as loose as it was when he had gotten it. It was to be expected, though, since the uniform itself was made for maneuverability over formality, so the fabric itself was made very loose and flexible.

The drums started to boom now as he continued looking over his uniform, causing him to look up to find that the area was just getting more and more lively past the buildings as he started heading towards the edge of the city, seeing a few guards at the main entrance of the area as he sidestepped over to a small alley path that was along the city, easily unnoticable if you did a quick look around and currently unguarded. _'So then, where exactly am I?'_ The man thought as he walked into the town, seeing decorations and what looked to be paper-like scales on a few of the windows, his gaze going over the rest before he had reached a large plaza, where he found the drummings origin, soon hearing a flute and lute begin to play along with them. There were three people playing the instruments on a platform; a man, a woman, and a child as groups of people seemed to be having a festival as he walked through the area, his gaze overlooking the assortment of foods and what seemed to be toys as he looked over the area. He also noticed an old man sitting on a throne far to the left of where he entered, people walking up to him in a line as he seemed to talk to each about what the man guessed was their problems.

"Excuse me." came a stern voice, making the man turn to find a girl directly behind him. She had on a simple brown tunic, wearing a pair of brown pants that looked flexible and sturdy enough to give good protection. Her eyes, from how he could guess, seemed to be as blue as sapphires, with her hair a golden blond and wrapped together with a string holding it in place. He also noticed a patch on her left shoulder, an insignia that held a shield with twin swords crossing together, making him consciously stand straighter as she looked at him. "I'm sorry, but we can't allow weapons in the city at the time of the festival. I'll need to confiscate the weapon from you until the sun sets, where you can pick it up in the city guard's barracks."

"Oh, sorry about that." the man muttered as he undid the dagger and handed it to her. _'Well, it's definitely a realm where they've never heard of or seen me.'_ the man thought as he smiled to himself, the girl soon giving him a confused look as she took the dagger. "Where am I, exactly?"

"A foreigner, then? No wonder, and you better follow me if you want to know where to grab this thing." the girl spoke as she wrapped the dagger in a small cloth, soon walking off with the man following her. "You're in Emerial, both the heart and trade center of the Central lands, ruled by one of the sixteen kings."

"I see." the man spoke as he looked around the place in wonder before he noticed the sky. It was a far clearer blue than any he had seen before, and the sun seemed to be brighter as well. He took a big whiff of the air, his nostrils seeming to catch even the food to the far end of the plaza. _'The air is fresher here, as well. I really did make it to another realm.'_ the man thought as he noticed the woman stopping directly in front of a building, grabbing a quill and ink as she looked over at the man.

"Name?" the woman said as she looked dead into his eyes, his own gaze holding for a bit before he looked back to the dagger.

"Oliver." the man replied, the girl soon writing the name on the cloth before dropping it into the box, both soon hearing a clunk come from it as she turned back to him.

"Well then, Oliver, I hope you have a good time at our festival." the woman replied before Oliver only nodded and turned to walk off, his gaze returning to the plaza as he noticed the line to meet the man on the throne, probably their governor or king, thinning out as he decided on what to do.

 _'Well, mission was a success, Myrkr.'_ Oliver thought as he looked back around the place, seeing the happiness and the content of the people in this city. It may have been only a ruse, but he didn't see any in-fighting with the people at all, he didn't even see that many angry looks that seemed sincere. _'Guess this is as good of a place as any to retire to, and given all the things I've done in my life, I think it's worth it.'_

Oliver looked back at the man seated on the throne, seeing him get up and walk from his throne down to a path heading to a large castle that viewed over the plaza as the people began moving the throne to make space for one of their events. Oliver, however, had different plans as he walked over to the big part festival, a smile on his face as he looked back up at the sun to see it hanging high above them, more than enough time for him to enjoy the remainder of it.

* * *

Soldiers kept to the borders of a building, shooting their rifles in succession into advancing enemies as they attempted to keep them at bay. Their positions were all within the buildings of what was once the business district of the city of New York, now turned into a battlefield for the civil war occurring throughout the country for the past two years, starting with the coup de tat in the government that killed half of just individual within the senate and house, forcing the rest to go into hiding as the remaining were attempting a force of martial law. "Hold them back until Myrkr arrives, and we'll have this day!" shouted one of the men as they looked across to the opposing side, their enemies having a few tanks turning into the street as he reached over for an rpg. He then stopped as his shadow stretched out from it's look, and the black armored figure appeared in front of him as they walked to the window.

 **"You use the rpg and you'll find yourself targeted by them here, forcing you to leave and crowd the other buildings that men are fighting at, if you can manage it."** the figure spoke, it's voice deep and stern as they raised their hand to the tanks, the shadows under them starting to darken. **"If you want to deal with them before they can target you all at once, you need to aim at the ones that are more likely to aim for you and destroy those first, and it must be with deadly precision."**

The figure then closed their fist, causing the shadows under the tanks to spike up and through all of them, retracting immediately as the soldiers who were advancing behind them either jumped or fell back in shock from the sudden attack. "Myrkr, the southern barracks have fallen." came the man as he finally managed to draw his gaze from the tanks, now sitting idle as gas pooled under each from the last attacks. "We tried our best to hold them back, but had to retreat in order to keep from heavy losses."

 **"As you should have, there's no point in holding a location if you don't have the men to do it."** the figure replied as they climbed through the window, walking forward as their shadow rose and wrapped itself into an orb in their hand. **"Tell the men to hold their positions here and not to advance unless the tide turns in our favor, we've already suffered enough losses. I'll see what I can pull in the next thirty minutes."**

With that Myrkr took off in a dash before as the opposing troops noticed him. Their leaders began shouting orders as the soldiers aimed their weapons and fired at him, mortars blasting around him as his speed picked up to an inhuman pace, bullets either wizzing past or bouncing off his armor as the darkness in his gauntlet swirled around his hand. A form within their mind gave off an entertained chuckle as Myrkr tossed the orb into the enemy lines, the orb soon blasting into a scatter-shot that decimated the first two advancing lines in the center. The warrior, taking advantage of this, immediately changed his direction and slammed straight into the left side of the enemy lines, grabbing a man's skull with his free hand and tossing him into a group that were still dazed from his appearance.

 **"Now then."** Myrkr spoke as he cracked his neck, his eyes glowing a dark orange as a war-hammer formed in his right hand. The men then backed away and readied their guns again as Myrkr walked towards them, black orbs rising from the shadows or appearing from nothing as they formed into a wide wall behind him, it's checkered pattern more than likely able to smash through the group of men in front of him. **"Who will be the first to flee from my might?"**

_-present time-_

A man sat within the confines of his room, overlooking a map of the city as a large soldier stood beside him. The man had hair of medium length, a beard and mustache growing to where it linked with his sideburns, it's color a clear silver despite the man's eyes and features looking a bit younger than the soldier beside him.

"The reports spoke of spies entering and leaving the castle easily, it was also confirmed from what the one we caught had said, and there aren't that many places for them to come in that aren't guarded..." the man spoke, his gaze viewing the map, looking along the lines of the wall and beyond as he searched for anything that could be a possible entry, his eyes soon resting on a small break on the wall that had a red mark on it. "Is this a miss step on this map?"

"No Arlus, it's a part of the wall that broke during the last time the beast herd ran through the city last month." the soldier replied, the man only staring at it as he pulled out a parchment, writing out instructions.

"Tell the barracks commander to have men on that location around the clock, not just on times that the men are working on it." Arlus spoke as he finished writing the letter, handing it over to the soldier as they nodded. "Also, have fifteen royal soldiers guard that location, and punish any that start slacking off. If they all slack off, their food is cut in half, if a few slack off, then those few have to double their training regime."

"Yes sire." the soldier replied as they took the letter, soon leaving quickly as Arlus looked to his window, hearing the commotion in the plaza from his room. He had a good view of it, his own room standing on the third floor of the castle itself, but still able to hear the voices of the people.

 _'There shouldn't be any problems, given the situation, but it's still troubling that spies have decided to appear now of all times.'_ Arlus thought as he stood out of his chair, soon walking to the door to his room as he pondered his own moves. _'I need to make sure these things don't bother me too much, but the question is how to make this land as great as this...'_

—

Oliver looked around at the festival in awe, his gaze overlooking all the food around the place as his stomach started to growl. _'Hell, guess that means I'm starving.'_ Oliver thought, his gaze resting on one of the food stands that seemed to be holding a large slab of red meat, his stomach feeling as if it was going to start burning through and out of him as he walked over to the stand. He then noticed the language on top of the stand before he tried reading it, his memories trying to pinpoint a certain dialect. _'Not latin, hellenic, english or germanic. Not on a form of earth from how my knowledge is showing, either.'_

Oliver then looked to another store, seeing a similar dialect on the board over it as he listened to the people around him, still hearing the voices speaking in clear english, despite what was written. It was still confusing him as he walked through the area, making his way to a small alley in between the two stores before he entered it, trying to wrap his head around the setting. A world where he could understand the people here, yet he couldn't understand the lettering around the place.

As he made it halfway into the alleyway as his mind continued to think through the possibilities, however, he soon heard a chuckle come from behind him, echoing over the festival as he listened to it. "You could be sitting down while pondering it instead of strolling and find no answer to why without help." came a voice, making him turn to find an old robed man behind him with a cane, his left a dark blue and his right a bright red as the two continued to walk before stopping around the edge of the alley, soon seeing another area full of decorations, but with people in this street. "Looks as if you made it safe and sound."

"More or less, Reginhard." Oliver replied as he looked to the man. "I'm guessing you're not actually here, and are currently back at the castle."

"Yes, and it took quite a bit of power to finally find you after so long, though from how you look it doesn't seem to have changed you much like it has for the others." the old man replied, his form seeming to shake as he began to fade as Oliver noted the words the man had said. 'So long' meaning that the old man had been searching for him through his own abilities for a while, putting even more questions into his head as the man continued. "I'm sorry to leave abruptly but I only had enough power left to ensure you that we're still around, I'll try to make contact again when the sun sets. Hopefully the darkness of the night will help with our connection."

"Very well, but don't try over exerting yourself any more than you have to, would hate to see such an asset fall." Oliver spoke as he walked back out of the alley as the man faded, his ears soon catching the sound of breaking glass, making him turn and walk through the area as his eyes caught sight of a tavern, inside a man sitting at the bar speaking to the barkeep, who seemed to be old from the white beard he held, but looking more than toned enough to put many soldiers to shame.

"I'm telling you, the way the packs of monsters have been moving are far different from the ordinary movement patterns." the old man spoke as Oliver looked around while listening to him, soon seeing the cause of the shattered glass. a young man was laying his head on one of the tables with a broken bottle beside it, making Oliver sigh as he turned and sat at the bar beside the old man. "Something big is coming that's startling the smaller packs, and is causing the bigger ones to change hunting grounds."

"I'll see if any guards will pass this information higher up and send word around town to get prepared for anything, even if it's only a whim." replied the barkeep before the old man nodded, soon getting up and walking out of the tavern as the keep looked over to Oliver. "Can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"Do you accept service helping out in return for food if the person doesn't have any money?" Oliver asked as he turned his head to the barkeep, who only nodded. Oliver then sighed in relief as he felt his stomach rumbling to it. "I'll take some water and whatever is the best meat to eat, and pay for it via helping out here."

"Very well then, you'll work as a table cleaner for the next three days of the festival." the barkeep spoke as he picked up a glass and pitcher, soon pouring some water out before placing it in front of Oliver. "Just be sure to wash your face and arms after you finish eating, don't want to go scaring off the nicer customers from a guy who looks like he lives in the fields."

Oliver only nodded as he grabbed the glass and took a sip of the contents, his mind trailing off to memories to pass the time, his memories turning to a point where he was still learning in his own way as people conversed around him...


	2. II

-Eight years ago-

**"Duck!"** shouted Myrkr as he went for a low sweep kick, Oliver lifting the targeted leg before slamming it down into a heel strike, only for it to bounce off of the armor as Myrkr lifted himself up and grabbed the leg, soon swinging Oliver into the outer part of a ring of darkness where he slammed his back onto the ground. Myrkr looked down on Oliver as he picked himself up, practically feeling the glare of a teacher on a student as he stood up in front of the figure. **"You still don't use your full potential, and only go halfway even though I can easily take the full force of your attacks. You even do this in battle when you worry for your enemy."**

"It's one habit that never left me." Oliver spoke as he walked back into the ring, Myrkr raising his hand as a medium sized round table formed from his shadow, two chairs taking up it's space as he motioned them to sit.

**"You should know that if you don't hold back with your physical abilities that you could easily bring down any squad that tries to take you."** Myrkr spoke as the two walked to the table, Oliver taking one end while Myrkr took the opposite. **"You can't blame yourself for what happened during the last mission.  Everyone makes mistakes, and that isn't any different from what you've seen before."**

"They were under my command, and nearly died because I hadn't thought of every possibility and hadn't prepared properly." Oliver spoke, his gaze at the desk. "Because of that, we lost the one who was the equivalent of our blade."

**"Lief knew what needed to be done, and what the price would be to save you, because he knew you were worth more than even him."** Myrkr spoke as he held his hand up, a black sphere forming from his armor. **"Lief was a warrior and a servant, his world was to do as was ordered and ensure his master's plans would come to fruition. He had never been outside of that viewpoint of life, not until his death when he went to save you and your squad, deciding his own actions at that final moment of his life. He saw more in you than what you saw in yourself."**

"And I'm glad for that, but I'll still mourn his loss." Oliver spoke, his gaze looking up to the sphere. "Still, his loss will cause several back steps to the plan, and we'll more than likely have to use Plan B when it comes time."

"Myrkr, Oliver." came a voice before Reginhard appeared at the edge of the ring, causing the two to turn to him. "The war council is waiting for you two."

**"Very well then."** Myrkr spoke, both standing up as the ring began to vanish, showing the inside of an abandoned and rusting warehouse as specks of light started coming in from the roof and strike around them, causing other parts of the area to appear faster. **"Let's get going, General."**

_-present time-_

Oliver sighed as he was walking through the central plaza to the guard barracks, the sun setting and his arms sore from the work he had been put to for the day. His meal helped his energy just fine, and he learned that dragon stew tasted pretty good, but the amount of trays he had to bring and clean up were astounding. _'How do people do this so easily for festivals?'_ Oliver thought as he arrived at the front of the barracks, seeing a man leave with a short sword that had a rusted pommel. He turned into the barracks to find the same guard that had taken his dagger handing a spear to a man whose attire looked similar to a fisherman.

"Heya, I'm here for my dagger." Oliver spoke as he walked up to her, who only nodded when she saw him and walked over to a weapon rack, soon seeing his cloth wrapped dagger at the far end before he turned and looked around the barracks. _'It's still a wide space, and probably wider if I tried to look in further.'_ Oliver thought as he saw three hallways and two sets of stairs, one leading up to the next floor, and one leading under the building. _'judging from the size this place looks up front, there's more than likely a higher number of guards than just the five I've seen around the place, or that it has the capacity to have more troops garrisoned around the town, or more guard houses for that matter...'_

"Here's your dagger, Oliver." the girl spoke as she walked back up to the desk, soon setting the dagger down as Oliver turned around. She then saw his gaze trailing off before she coughed, making him turn to her confused. "You okay there, foreigner?"

"Yeah, just having some old habits that are troublesome to stop." Oliver spoke, taking his dagger and removing the cloth before placing it back on it's slot. Oliver then turned to walk back out as he remembered his meet up with Reginhard. "Thanks for keeping it here and not giving it to anyone else that walked in."

With that he left and moved quickly to another alleyway as the sun finally set, leaving a faint glow as he went into the same alley he met Reginhard in. "Took you long enough to get here." came a voice as Oliver made it to the center off the alleyway again, soon turning to find Reginhard sitting down in the street, his gaze holding a dark orange glow.

"And you seem to have recovered well enough to converse for longer." Oliver spoke as he walked to the opposite side of the alley and sat down as well, leaning forward as his gaze analyzed Reginhard. "You're still not in your physical body, so that means you either can't because of your past exertion-"

"Or that you're too far away from the current location your castle is moving from." Reginhard finished as he kept his gaze on the ground, the shadows under him moving and forming a smaller version of the town, from some similarities that Oliver had seen in it. "The latter is the case in this matter, and you don't look a day older than when you left, though most of the versions of you weren't any different from the time you started moving the castle from it's original location."

"Speaking of, I have no idea how I look." Oliver spoke as he smiled at Reginhard, who just sighed and waved his hand, the shadows soon rising and forming a mirror for Oliver to see himself as. His face may have been dusty from whatever caused him to land in the forest, and still held the look that he was nothing but a person who reads all day, but he could still see the same determination that hid behind his eyes mixed in with the calming emotions that had filled him throughout the day. His hair looked a bit matted, but he could still see the dark brown that could shine in light from faint lights that were appearing above them in the houses. He then sighed before remembering what the man had said. "What did you mean by other versions of me and different ages."

"While you had left at a blinding pace, we've been stuck in the castle all this time." Reginhard spoke as the mirror vanished, showing a large area of darkness that two dots were at and starting at one point, both moving at the same time but with one speeding off at twice the speed. "You, being the pinpointer of the location, were sent off to the targeted location in a speed faster than us, and your spirit, though it could handle your course, split apart into multiple fragments, 67 in total. This caused most of these fragments to lose much of their strength, and even their memories and knowledge before all this, but they ended up in various other realms and realities. However, some were unable to latch onto hosts or a new body and vanished immediately on arrival, cutting the number to 56."

"I knew that this would be a problem when I made this jump, but how much of my former strength do I have?" Oliver spoke as his shoulders tensed, keeping his gaze on Reginhard, his mind shaking from the fact that he may not have any of his abilities.

"Unlike the rest of them, you hold the core of your soul which, though it had small fragments come off, reformed itself and your spirit completely, so you bear all of your strength." Reginhard spoke, Oliver's shoulders releasing their tension as Reginhard held his gaze on him. "The amount of time you took to get here, however, is what you need to know: it's been seven years for us to what looks to have been only days or weeks for you."

Oliver's eyes widened as he looked at the man in shock. "How the hell could it be seven years if I still look the way I did in the final battle, and feel as nimble as I did before." Oliver spoke, his gaze on Reginhard as the man only sighed.

"You bear Myrkr's knowledge on Darkness Embodiment as well, so you already know the answer." Reginhard spoke, Oliver mind soon racking through his own memories before he held his head, a large headache starting to hit him as knowledge began opening up into his head, rasping as his mind began to view knowledge spanning back farther than he could even comprehend. "Looks as if you held it back because of how soon that final battle was to you."

"Seems to be the case." Oliver spoke as his eyes suddenly turned stern, his mind tensing itself as it forced the memories and knowledge to come in at a trickle. "However, if I've been out of it for seven years, then I've had more than enough rest to handle this stress."

-Seventeen years ago-

A thirteen year old Oliver was limping down along the base of the mountain, his leg wounded and his gaze trying to see where his father could be above him, and hoping he didn't end up the same way or worse. They had decided on hiking halfway up Mount Elbert for his father's birthday, and took a flight straight to Leadwood to get to there. They had arrived in the area the day before his father's birthday, and went to get things ready that day before they ended up on the mountain early in the morning. It was supposed to be a simple hike along the mountain trail, but somewhere along the line he had wandered away from his father and ended up falling along the edge of the mountain, his left leg ending up what he felt was broken and a good deal of bruises and scrapes all around.

_'That'll teach me for going off the path and all alone.'_ Oliver thought as he remembered hearing his dad shout down at him, apparently having followed him just in case but not close enough to make it to him before he fell. Fortunately they hadn't gone too high up, and only went up around fifty to sixty feet when Oliver wandered off, but the slope he fell from was still to high for his father to reach him. They decided to go back to the start of the trail, and that led to the predicament Oliver was in now, his father probably already at the path and moving along the base of the mountain to find him

"Well then, guess you could say I have a bone to pick with this mountain." Oliver grunted as he felt the bone in his leg bend worse as he layed back to rest for a bit. As he did so, he heard the sound of wings as a black raven landed in front of him, Oliver staring at it as he started to get up. _'Resting can wait until I'm safe from this event.'_ Oliver thought as he looked around to find a medium sized stick, soon picking it up before he used it to pull himself up, soon turning to walk along the base of the mountain again before he

**"Don't worry, little thing, I won't bite."** the raven spoke, Oliver soon turning in shock as the bird flew back up and landed right in front of him. Oliver looked more at the ravens features, soon seeing that it's eyes were glowing red as his body tensed up, his leg's pain spiking in response to the muscles as he gripped the stick tighter. **"I've rarely seen humans in this part of the mountain, normally with some having died or wounded like yourself. However, most of them are more focused on screaming from their wounds and tending to them rather than moving and pushing past them."**

"As much as I'd like to explain why, I'd rather keep away from the talking black bird with glowing red eyes." Oliver spoke as he limped past the raven, this time moving faster before the area around the two was soon surrounded by a black wall, save for the sky as Oliver turned back to the bird.

**"I'm only curious as to why you're pushing yourself so hard to make it to your intended destination."** The bird spoke as Oliver looked at it nervously. **"The human you came up the mountain with already knows your location, and is following the same path. Why not wait for him like some others would have done?"**

"I'm not one for sitting around the place, I'm more for ensuring the possibility rather than have more obstacles to it's success." Oliver spoke, the birds eyes seeming to pierce into his own as he kept his in a deadlock with them.

**"And if I were to stop you here, and attempt to kill you with my own abilities?"** the raven asked, the walls soon forming spikes that started to grow and turn towards Oliver, his own gaze changing from it's nervousness to a stern one, picking up the stick he had and raising it like a sword.

"Then I would face it no matter what, regardless if my actions are considered foolhardy, because my determination is already set on a desire to accomplish my ambition." Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze locked on the bird, his own mind set while also accepting if he would die soon. What he didn't expect, however, was a laugh coming from the bird as the spikes vanished.

**"And what exactly is this ambition that makes you face death in the eye with little fear, to make you say such big words at your current age?"** the raven spoke, it's gaze on Oliver as he opened his mouth several times, trying to find the words to explain it. The raven then sighed as the shadowed walls went into the ground soon coming together and linking the two with a large array of shadows as Oliver's body felt as if it was being kept in place, soon seeing the shadows had entered his wounds.

"To find a way to change my country to the way that my ancestor wished to it to be, even if no one will stand by my side during it all." Oliver spoke, his eyes still on the string of shadows linking him and the raven as it kept it's glare on him.

**"So then, what is this grand scheme to change your country that you live in?"** The raven continued, Oliver about to open his mouth before he looked to the weapon, confused as he closed it and tried to think of what would be the proper response to the raven's question. As he pondered the spikes had stopped, spinning around him slowly as he tried to think, the raven holding a small laugh as it watched him think.

**"If you have no means to, then how about a deal that can aid you in this path?"** The raven spoke, it's gaze on the wounds and cuts Oliver had from his fall. **"I'll let you leave here with a small portion of my power, and it will be your task to learn how to master it to my capacity within five years. I'll find you after five years and if you don't, then your life will belong to me to choose how it will become. If you manage to hold it, however, then I will grant you more power and knowledge over it. The choice is entirely up to you, but know that it is a one time offer."**

Oliver looked at the raven confused, then looked back down at the shadows before his mind went into overtime. This deal was like a deal with the devil, as his grandfather would've put it, just a way to trade your own soul for something. But it didn't even seem to be that case, it held a different way to it, and it wasn't exactly a trade your soul away deal, and unlike some of the other decisions he had, he felt he would regret it if he decided to not go through. _'So live forever wondering how it could've gone with the deal, or try my luck and attempt to push through it.'_ Oliver thought as he tried to move his arm to put on his head, finding that he could still manage that despite his lower body seeming to not respond.

"If I was a logical person, or a normal kid that had been injured like now, then I'd probably decline and try to run for my life from this." Oliver spoke as he looked back up at the raven, the bird noticing a glint of excitement in his eyes. "However, the real logical ones tend to do crazy things in their lives, so I'll take this gamble."

**"Good, then let's settle the arrangements of this deal, and leave the end of it to debate if you win."** the raven spoke, the darkness soon stretching up and over Oliver as he felt it seem to seep into his skin and body, feeling his leg bending back into place as well as he gritted his teeth to it's pain, when he could see again, the raven had vanished, and his body seeming to have lost all it's wounds and pain. He also felt his arm a bit lighter, making him look down to find that the stick had vanished as well.

_'Was that a part of it's power as well that was formed to look like a branch?'_ Oliver thought as he tested his leg, it along with his body feeling better than it had been for awhile. Oliver then sighed as he turned and began sprinting along the base of the mountain again, his gaze catching a glimpse of his father. _'I really hope I didn't just forfeit my life to this thing.'_

-present time-

Reginhard kept his gaze on Oliver as he kept seated, the moon of this world now high in the air from the amount of time that had passed since Oliver had begun taking the knowledge in. Oliver's eyes had been glazed over this entire time, and Reginhard had made an illusion with the darkness around them that made it seem as if no one was in the alleyway. _'He may not have survived after the fight if he had been trying to settle these memories out before.'_ Reginhard thought before Oliver's eyes cleared, his face stern as he went through what he had learned.

"The reason I still look like I did before was because of the darkness teleportation." Oliver spoke, raising his hand as he tried to concentrate on his power. "Through it my body kept a constant nourishment from my affinity with the darkness, also practically freezing my body and mind throughout the duration in the process. Judging from my current feel, I've still lost a great deal of my power from the travel, and can't return to the source of my power to refuel until my castle arrives in the closest location to this reality."

"Exactly." Reginhard spoke, making Oliver look up at him with an annoyed glare. "However, the loss of your powers is more complicated than that."

"You could've just told me this instead of having me sit here for four hours working on my mind." Oliver spoke, Reginhard smiling at his remark before he leaned back and sighed. "But that's not why I made you, sadly enough.  So then, what do you mean that the loss of my abilities isn't just the travel."

"Though it's true that you used up most of your power when you traveled here, you still have more than enough to last you for four months of constant battle." Reginhard spoke as he held up his finger. "My powers come from me being born of darkness, and of your desires, where as yours come from the trait that is your strongest."

"Ambition and it's counterpart." Oliver sighed, his sitting position switching to criss cross as he placed both his hands on his knees. "So since I fulfilled my ambition and don't really seek anything else yet, I'm back to the way I started.  With ambition being something I desire to achieve at all costs, I'll have spare occasions where I'll actually be able to use it, making me a sitting duck if I try to fight with no clear objective to aim for."

"A good thing your control over darkness required you to have both a strong mind and body in order to achieve." Reginhard spoke as his eyes changed from their orange glow to a red glow, his own voice now stern. "Back to the matter I came here with, we're still travelling through the darkness to this world, and won't be able to join you for three years. You can still talk to me and your other machinations through your mind, and have them send in the items you personally made. However, you wont be able to return those items and you can't receive physical support, such as your monsters or minions. Not even Ksalso can come to your aid if you call him for another year, despite his flight towards your direction being so far ahead of us."

"That'll be fine, I wanted you guys to live lives without having to hear my orders after I came here." Oliver spoke as he got up. He then looked over at one of the torches as a guard walked past the alleyway, causing the shadows around them to creep closer to the illusion. "I plan on having a peaceful life here, it was my intention to do so from the start. That depends, however, on how events may turn out."

"Are you so sure you can manage that?" Reginhard spoke, causing Oliver to look at him confused. "I've yet to find out what exactly this world is, but from what I've seen, it doesn't seem like you can live a peaceful life here for long..."

"That will depend on fate itself, not on what is seen. We have enough evidence to show that to be the case from our own battles." Oliver spoke, soon looking up to the sky as his face went from it's analyzing outlook to a care free gaze. "I've seen men fall in mine and Myrkr's name, seen betrayal between brothers in arms over what is morally right, and I've caused the deaths of millions, even if I had managed to save a far larger portion than I had to kill. I don't expect any God or Pantheon letting me into a paradise after what I've done, even if I did intend on going to them any time soon, so I might as well have some peace here."

"However." Oliver continued as he looked back at Reginhard, his gaze now stern. "If I end up finding a reason to fight after that time of peace, I will gladly fight in order to achieve it even if you've yet to arrive, which is why I had brought this dagger."

With that he pulled the dagger out of it's sheath, showing a black blade that seemed to meld with the darkness, seven marks showing on the flat of it's blade that made Reginhard smile. "So you even prepare for instances like this." Reginhard spoke before he began to fade. "Master of warfare indeed... Very well then, we'll await your orders for when you find it time, as always. If you find a quiet life, we'll simply aid you when you call."

"Understood." Oliver spoke as he sheathed his blade, the old man soon vanishing as he turned and left the alleyway, his hands in his pockets before he heard a whistle. He then turned around to find the barkeep walking over to him, his beard seeming to glow in the light of the torches. "Ah, Oric, what is it?"

"You don't really have a place to stay here since you don't have any money, do you?" the barkeep asked, Oliver only nodding before the man smiled. "Very well then, you can come stay at the bar for the remainder of the festival, since you'll be working there for the start of tomorrow. We have an extra bed there, and you can also consider the work throughout tomorrow payment for any food you need while staying here, as well."

Oliver just looked at him dumbfounded before he smiled. "I'd actually gladly accept it, if you're offering." Oliver spoke before he followed the man, his own gaze back up at the moon. _'What did dad always say? "Cherish moments of peace, for they are small instances," right?'_ Oliver thought as he looked back at the barkeep, who had started talking about the other two workers who were staying at the bar. _'let's hope this moment of peace isn't as small as our world had them...'_


	3. III

Oliver sighed as he got out of the tavern, finally done with the work he needed to do for the day as he looked up at the sky. _'Still high noon, huh?'_ Oliver thought as he rested his hand on where his dagger should've been, having left it in the room that Oric had loaned him. _'Well then, if I want to live in peace, the best option should be out in a field to farm or hunt on. But the question is if the request for land will be accepted.'_

Oliver then decided to walk through the town, his gaze overlooking the area again as his mind went to his knowledge from Myrkr. _**'the darkness I control spans back before the dawn of your universe, before life and what you believe as time existed. However, that does not mean it only bears ancient knowledge.'**_ Echoed the voice of Myrkr in Oliver's memories. _**'They also grant you the ability to understand and respond to other cultures, as well as understand who they are and the realm they belong to.'**_

Oliver then smiled as he saw the same sign he had trouble reading the day before as he walked into the plaza, his mind concentrating on the letters as his eyes started to hold a light orange. _'If I remember his phrasing correctly... "Along with the control of your abilities being ambition, the reasons of the ambition may change over time, and are different given different circumstances. As such, you could have an ambition to complete the yard work, or to make your own ice cream, to help the poor, to destroy your enemies, to find love, or even to build an empire." Right?'_  Oliver remembered as his eyes glow vanished, being held back as his eyes saw the words on the sign change into English in his head, his own thoughts now rolling instead of memories. _'Dragon's Tail, huh? Sounds rather good…'_

He then heard horns blare near the castle, causing him to look over to see a group of elite guards marching out of its gates. What caught his attention, however, was the symbol on their shields and banner held a dragon circling around a red-and-white-checkered shield, a man standing at the front of them with dark silver hair. He then felt a tap on his shoulder before he turned around, seeing the girl from the barracks behind him. "Hey, Oliver, I see that you didn't take your dagger today." The girl spoke, Oliver only looking to her confused as she talked to him.

"Indeed I didn't, miss city guard." Oliver responded, looking back to the man standing in front of the soldiers. He had royal robes on, but his look and the symbol on the shields looked like a realistic visualization of something he had seen a long time ago. "Tell me, who is that man in front of the guards? Someone important?"

"You really don't know?" the girl responded as she walked in front of him, looking at him confused. "That's Arlus, the crown prince of our land. He's may not be in the field as much as his siblings, and he may only be at the age of twenty-four, but even the elders are amazed at his intellect and wisdom on matters despite his experience only coming from books."

"Is that so…" Oliver replied, looking to the symbol as he tried to understand it's similarity, his mind going through what could be the possible solutions to it.  When his mind finally found what he had been searching for, however, his gaze hardened. _'Impossible...'_ Oliver only thought as he turned back to the girl. "Say, is there a mountain around here that's fake despite it looking like a real one?"

"No, there isn't." the guard responded as she looked at him confused, Oliver's mind starting to ease up, though it kept a bit of paranoia as he looked on at the man. "But there is a part of the forest a quarter days travel south that's covered in creatures that look as if they're really the plant life, even some rock types that have been moving in herds with the tree beasts."

' _So it could still be the same place…'_ Oliver thought, a smirk coming up on his face as he looked to the man again. He could see the similarities more vividly, even if it wasn't confirmed for him. Despite that, the symbol and the man were two too many to be simply coincidence. _'Well then, I guess this means that my own form of peace will not be around if I try to go for a job in the palace, or even in the city for that matter…'_

"You know, I just realized something," Oliver spoke as he directed his attention from the man, soon resting his gaze on the girl beside him. "You already know my name, but I've yet to even hear yours."

"Really now?" the guard asked before she sighed, extending her hand out as she smiled. Oliver then looked the girl over, her age seeming to be at least sixteen or seventeen to his eyes, though her eyes had more fire in them than any teens he had seen at that age. "Serphia, one of the twelve guards assigned to the plaza during the festival."

"Well then, Serphia, I'll give you my full name in response to yours." Oliver spoke as he reached his hand out and shook hers. "Oliver Wolcott, a wanderer hoping to find a home in this land."

"If you're searching for a home, you can ask either Arlus or King Indras." Serphia spoke as she let go of his hand, looking back to the prince as he walked up the steps to the throne Oliver had seen people lined up to yesterday. "The festival gives the chance for the people to speak of their troubles directly to the king, prince or any of their trusted advisors since they're normally busy with the wars around them."

"Thanks for the information. " Oliver responded as he looked to Arlus again as he was walking up the stairs, Serphia soon hearing commotion further out and moving to deal with it.  As he soon went up the steps, his mind reached out into the darkness around his mind, soon latching onto a familiar presence.  _'Reginhard, can you hear me?'_ Oliver thought as he looked back up to the prince, soon feeling the presence stir before he heard a grunt of a yes in his head.  _'Good, I need you to check something out for me...'_

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed since Arlus had sat on the throne and started listening to the requests and problems of the people, each person asking for a different thing. Most of them asked for normal things, such as new items for their people or a look at their taxes to see if they were fair, while travellers from other countries just came to meet him or his father in order to present gifts. His mind started to wander through these things as the last person moved, the line pausing as they waited for him to call for the next person.

"My lord, are you alright?" came the man beside him, snapping Arlus out of it as he looked over to them. The man was one of the advisors of his father, Lorthas, and had been there to help Arlus with some matters that would be shown.

"I'm fine, Lorthas, call the next one." Arlus spoke as he waved his hand, resting on his right as he looked at the next person in line. They were a man with short black hair and wearing foreign clothes, his own face looking foreign in it's own regard as he walked forward, holding a fairly trimmed beard that covered his face and stretched no further than his chin. _'No gifts on this man, though...'_ Arlus thought as the man walked forward, soon kneeling down with his head low as Arlus thought through what he could be here for. "Tell me, why is it you've come?"

"Honestly, it may seem as a rather strange request." The man responded as he kept himself kneeled down, his speech fluent in their tongue and catching Arlus off guard as he watched him, leaning forward as the man kept his head low. "I've traveled through many lands for a few years, and I'm looking to settle, and seeing as it's the time of the festival, I was hoping that I'd be allowed to have a bit of land in the outskirts of this city."

Arlus kept his gaze on how the man looked, his mind going through what he had requested. His clothes were long sleeved and able to hide the man's physique, but the way he held himself showed signs of physical prowess. Along with it, the man had an accent that was clearly foreign, none that he could think of around them, which lessened the chance of him being a possible spy. Arlus thought through the options to tell if the man was a spy or not when his mind settled on a single trial.

"Tell me, have you learned to hunt for yourself while traveling along the roads?" Arlus asked, the man looking up as a smile appeared on his face and he nodded. "If so, then I'd like to know what kind of creatures you hunted for food?"

"I mainly hunted creatures that came along my path, mainly grounded creatures such as deer or elk, though they may be foreign in these lands." The man responded, the people behind him moving around as they waited for their turn, Arlus soon snapping his fingers before one of the guards walked up to him. Arlus then murmured a few words to him before he nodded and left, soon turning back to the man as he returned his gaze to the ground

"Tell me, then, what is your name?" Arlus spoke as he leaned back in his chair, the guard running down the steps and towards the barracks.

"Oliver Wolcott, My lord." The man responded as he kept his head low. Arlus contemplated the name of the man as he kept his gaze on him.

' _Two names, that means that he is or was part of a noble family wherever he came from, or gained that second name from a feat.'_ Arlus thought as he looked over to the barracks. _'In the meantime, I believe I've found a way to be certain of what he is.'_

"Well then, Oliver Wolcott, you will be allowed your land under one condition." Arlus spoke his gaze returned to Oliver, who lifted his head to stare at the prince. "You will hunt the lands in our name and will bring back at least three animals out of the ones you hunt for three of each month for four months straight. You fail this at any point, and you'll lose your land in itself. If you do manage to bring three edible animals within the week, we will find a way to aid you in making a house in a location of your choosing."

"Thank you, my lord." Oliver responded as he looked back down, a smile clearly visible as the guard ran back up holding a slip of paper, soon walking up to Oliver and setting the paper in front of him.

"Since we cannot grant you weapons during the time of the festival, that slip will grant you access to the barracks to get a bow and thirty arrows." Arlus spoke as Oliver picked up the slip, standing up as he looked at the guard and nodded to him in a form of silent thanks. "However, you cannot take anything else within the barracks besides those items, and are unable to refill on arrows as well. If there is anything missing then we will immediately confiscate any items you have taken. Now be off, and let the next person in line."

"Understood, my prince." Oliver replied as he turned his gaze back to Arlus, bowing in full before he turned and walked down the steps, the next person in line soon walking up to give their own request.

_-fifteen years ago, Oliver-_

A fifteen year old Oliver was training with his father as the sun started to set, facing his father in a mock sparring match and pressured completely as he found himself kicked straight out of the ring. "Keep your foot position up, and your mind set on the battle ahead of you." his father spoke, walking over to the edge of the ring as Oliver got up heaving, every part of his body sore from the training.

"Easy for you to say, you've been training in this longer." Oliver spock as he felt a new welt forming on his chest, his father sighing before he looked straight at Oliver with a stern gaze.

"It's because I've been training in this longer that I know how you need to train now, so get back up here." his father replied as Oliver pushed through his own soreness and moved back into the ring, his father returning to the center of it and waiting for his son to get there. "You took a deal that threatens your life, be it by death or servitude if you fail, so you need to have enough of an open mind and determination to be able to see where your path lies, and that requires the strength and thought process given from our training. Now-"

His speech was interrupted by a timer going off, making Oliver sigh in relief as he fell back on the mat of the ring, his gaze staring up at the ceiling as his father walked over to a set of books, soon picking them up and taking them over to a table at the edge. "You can go back to reading your books now, if you want." his father spoke as he set the books down, Oliver getting up and walking to the table as his father picked one of them up. " _'Imperial Warlord'_... You're finally reading outside of European historical figures?"

"I ran out of any that seemed interesting to me after Carolus Rex." Oliver replied as he took the book out of his father's hands, his eyes showing a glint of excitement. "Out of anything I read, be it about jobs or events, I always find myself going back to stories and tales of those who took the path of the conqueror, and what they did in them that made their paths end either incomplete or back to square one."

"They are interesting, but in this day and age men of that form aren't required outside of business." his father spoke, Oliver only nodding as he opened the book, opening to a quarter way through where a bookmark resided. His father then smiled as he patted his son's shoulder. "But who knows, the present is always changing, you may yet see something that can call to you."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the next chapter, albeit earlier than I intended to toss it up since I'm still working out the kinks at the moment for a lot of it. In the meantime though, how do you guys think it's going at the moment? Anything I need to improve on?


	4. IV

The moon did not show in this night in the woods as Oliver lay back in his makeshift cot, a bow and quiver laying beside it as he heard the rustle of the woods around him. It had been seven days since he had been given the items and his month long trial had started, yet he had yet to find one single animal. _'This is stupidly bad luck, even for me.'_ Oliver thought as he reached his hand up into the air, his hand opened and reaching for what he could feel was his hope slipping away. He had been able to get food from Oric, and even got some advice on the type of creatures that would be considered edible, but the hunting tactics he had used back when he went with his father were useless in this environment, not even any small rate monsters came in. Oliver had tried baiting them with small pieces of his left over food, using vegetables, even hiding behind bushes in wait for the beasts to just casually stroll up, but none appeared.

"DAMMIT!" Oliver shouted as he slammed his hand down into the cot, whatever structure it held soon falling apart with him in it, making him pull himself up cursing as he started picking leaves off of his body. As he did, he heard the leaves begin to rustle differently, followed by the crunching off footsteps as Oliver reached for his bow and quiver, his voice quieting down as the crunching came closer. _'The footsteps are even, but not enough to be any more than two feet moving towards me.'_

Oliver sighed as he turned towards the sound, his gaze expecting to meet a human heading near him. What he found, however, was a large beast that was clearly reptilian in nature, walking on two legs with it's body shaped like what was similar to some dinosaurs he had seen in a museum. _'However, it's the same creatures that had attacked Night Raid, given the gem on it's head.'_ Oliver thought as he noticed the shape of the creature's head, along with a small blue gem in the center of it as he kneeled down and reached down for the bow and started to pull out an arrow from the quiver before he stopped, his gaze sternly noticing the way the creature was following him. _'It's waiting for me to try and draw the bow back…'_

With that Oliver stood back up his gaze looking around him. Now that he knew what he was facing, glints of what could be considered the same creatures were now more visible around the area, some moving around and showing clear signs of what they were, and others barely moving and could only be glints of light, all circling towards him as his mind went through the options of how to deal with them.

**' _Did you already forget?'_** came a voice in Oliver's memories, making him look down to see the shadows of the trees above him, his mind imagining the pair of red eyes that the voice went to. **_'Your power may come from ambition, but it is nothing without determination. So then, what is it that you strongly wish to achieve?'_**

Oliver then smirked, looking back up to see the creature already in a crouched stance as he took an attack stance. "Of course these creatures remind me of the training they put me through..." Oliver spoke to himself, the beasts now completely surrounding him as he raised his hands, his gaze on the three closest as they charged towards him, the blue jeweled beast sitting back and watching. "Fine then, come and meet death."

Oliver then spun under one of the beasts as they went for a bite, slamming his fist into it's chest and feeling a few resounding cracks as he broke it's ribs, making the creature cry out in pain as the other two jumped forward. In the same motion, Oliver grabbed the creature's neck with his free hand before dragging it and slamming the creature into the one on his left, feeling it surprisingly lighter than he expected. _'With their size, it should've given me more problems to toss them around.'_ Oliver thought as his left foot shot up into a high side kick, his heel slamming into the jaw of the final creature and causing their head to snap back with a resounding crack, soon falling to the ground beside him. _'I'll figure out the reasoning as to why later, if I manage to survive...'_

_'Aim for the one with the jewel, and the rest will retreat, it's obviously the one in charge of this group.'_ another voice came in Oliver's head, similar to his own yet not as he looked back to the creature, it's gaze clearly commanding as he lifted his leg and smashed his heel into the creature that was still trying to get up under it's fallen comrade, a resounding snap coming from it's neck and making the monsters stop in hesitation as the jeweled beast kept its own gaze on him. _'Don't give it a warning, it's obviously knowledgeable in strength in numbers, but it's also the one controlling the rest. Take it out, and the rest will flee.'_

Oliver looked back down at his bow, an arrow that he had started to grab already out partially, before he looked back up at the creature, it's gaze already noticing what he was looking at. In one quick motion, however, Oliver jumped over and grabbed both the bow and arrow, rolling forward as the creatures started to charge towards him before he aimed the bow and drew back in quick progression, almost too quick for him to adjust as he remembered the sudden strength he had before adrenaline kicked in, the events seeming to slow down as he released the string, the arrow itself flying true toward the beast as he spun the bow, slamming it into the head of one of the creatures that had made it's way only a foot from him and smashing the bow in half as he continued it's arc and stabbed the broken bow into the head of the next, soon hearing a loud cry that halted the remaining, making him turn to see the arrow having made it straight through the creature's eye, it's own body contorting as it fell back, life draining from it. Oliver took the chance immediately, running straight towards it as it began to come back up before he flipped forward, slamming both of his heels dead into the creature's chest, ceasing the creature's shouts in one last grotesque screech, the sound causing the rest to flee from the area as Oliver rolled back and stood up, looking around in shock at the six dead creatures.

"Well, can't say you've lost your touch, general." came a voice before Oliver turned around, seeing an armored man sitting beside the now dead creature as he looked at it's head. Oliver looked over the man's armor, it's make obviously that of what the Norse cultures had worn during the time of the Great Heathen Army. The armor was that of a cheap iron helmet, yet a leather hauberk that defended most of the man's upper body. He then heard a chuckle before the man stood up, removing his helmet, revealing a bearded man whose eyes glowed orange. "Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less of me."

Oliver just looked at the man, noticing the way his body shimmered in some parts where the light of the starry sky above them should've hit. "You're an illusion." Oliver spoke as he kicked a twig toward him, the small branch passing through their body like mist as the man smirked. "You're one of the separated parts of me, then?"

"More or less. You can call me Eanor if you want, the place I live in does." the man spoke as he vanished, soon reappearing behind Oliver while kneeling and looking at the wound inflicted on the creature that bore the broken bow in it's neck. "I reincarnated after all. Clean kill, by the way. Hit it right where the nerves would be open at-"

"Why are you here?" Oliver interrupted, Eanor just sighing as he stood up and turned to the man. "It's more than likely not just because you wanted to see me, and I highly doubt it's because you were worried for me."

"Well it's partially that, and also because I want to see how you'll react to what's coming in three, two, one..." Eanor spoke as he took three steps back, silence soon following as Oliver stared at the man. Within a few seconds, however, Oliver felt a sudden pain in his head, shouting as he kneeled down, memories and knowledge pouring into his brain all at once. What should've been years of information only took seconds to go in, and even shorter to find it's own place in his head as he looked up to Eanor. "You see, me and the others have a perk. If any of the shattered parts, such as myself, wish to rejoin you, we can simply wish it and the darkness will do the rest, though it apparently hits all of us. Hit me an hour ago with all of its knowledge, so I followed the trail it was heading straight to you."

"I have a lot of questions for you about that, such as what the hell put you in that armor." Oliver spoke as his vision began to blur from the after effects of the memories, making Eanor smirk as he began to fade.

"That will be for another time, don't worry." Eanor spoke as he vanished, Oliver soon looking around as his vision cleared up, his mind already thinking through what just happened while also remembering the six monsters he had killed, the first that he had hit still barely holding to life as he walked over to it.

"I'm sorry for prolonging your pain, I'll be sure to end it quickly." Oliver spoke as he kneeled down in front of the creature, the beast just looking at him with glazed eyes before he smashed his hand onto it's neck, severing it's head as he pondered on how to move the creatures.

-The next morning-

Arlus came out of his room yawning as he walked through the hallway. He had stayed up the last night finishing up the spy reports on dealing with the people that had been going in and out of the castle, turning out to be nothing more than a few kids trying to find food. After they were discovered, his father decided to let them live with one of the old generals that he knew would care for the children, after which they learned some extra bits regarding men asking them to look around for things. The men in question were already vacated from the spot they told the kids to return to, however, and Arlus had been going through the spy reports to find anything out about them.

"My Lord, you're up early." came a voice, causing Arlus to snap out of his thoughts and look around at his surroundings. He had been stuck in thought so long he somehow managed to walk to the entrance hall of the castle without noticing. He then turned to find the cook, dragging three beasts from the entryway towards the kitchen. "Shall I get you some breakfast?"

"Not yet, I'll eat with my father and siblings when it's time to eat." Arlus responded as he looked to the creatures that the cook was pulling in. From what he recalled, they were some of the stronger creatures to see in the forests around them, especially when they hunted since the went in packs. "Did you get those from the recent food shipment?"

"No, actually, some hunter came by and was carrying six of them to the guards, handing three in as per an agreement with you along with a slip of paper he was granted as well." the cook spoke, making Arlus look at him surprised. "One of the guards he handed them to were among the ones who were guarding you during your conversation with him, apparently, and asked what he wanted.  I was able to buy this one from him for a few coins since he didn't want to carry the other two"

"And what did he take in return of it?" Arlus asked as he soon started following the cook to the kitchen.

"He only asked for a license for lumber cutting and whatever cheap or scrap metal we couldn't use." the cook spoke as they entered the room, a good deal of workers already starting on the breakfast of the day. "Not sure what exactly he plans to do with the metal, but it would've been tossed into a melting pit since it wouldn't have been of any use other than arrowheads.  Even then, the rest of it couldn't be used for anything else."

"I see..."  Arlus responded, looking to the beast that the cook was carrying.   _'Six days and he brings back six of a race of beasts known to hunt in large packs, a race known to kill off whole batallions... it's rather incredible that he could've come out of that alive...'_ Arlus thought as the cook continued to drag it to the kitchen.   _'I wonder what he has planned for that metal.'_

-Oliver-

Oliver sat in the precipice of the forest as he looked at three wagons he had borrowed from Oric, all of them filled to the brim with broken blades and metal that couldn't be remade in normal means of what he had seen of this world. "You got quite the load off them, especially given that they might've been able to reuse that stuff." came a voice before Oliver turned to find Eanor come out of the shadows of the trees left of him, his gaze turning back to the wagons and past them, seeing the city at least a mile or two away. He had dragged the wagons off road and west, finding a small open patch of land that could work for a house within the forest, though close enough to the city to where he could run over when needed.

"They can't reforge these kinds of weapons with their current technology, the metal was too shoddy in its make and has made the metal itself far too brittle. With the abundance in resources I saw them holding here, however, I wouldn't be surprised if they only get these kinds of shoddy weapons from trade." Oliver spoke as he picked himself up, looking back to Eanor as he remembered their talk earlier in the night.  He had stayed up soon after the fight, and taken the beasts to as far as he could from the location, only stopping and finally sleepingwhen he felt fairly safe. "So then, what world did you end up in?"

"A younger version of our world, where the norse gods are the main deities and ragnarok is slowly approaching." Eanor spoke as he walked to the metal, his gaze overlooking it. "Time moves faster here than it does for you, however. Where it's only been a year in your time since I separated, for me it's been a thousand years."

"Then how come you're able to speak to me?" Oliver asked before he noticed the glow in Eanor's eyes, making him sigh as he realized it. "You're already dead, and in your own afterlife..."

"Indeed, I died fighting against a horde of enemies that tried to kill those I cared about in life, and because of my valor in facing them I was granted a seat in Valhalla." Eanor spoke as he sat down, his eyes more curious than grim as he looked at Oliver's arms. "And I would love to share stories, but those are better left to a fire at night, and we'll have plenty of time to talk about them. In the meantime, I'd like to see just how much raw strength you have at this moment."

"So you noticed the change in strength as well?" Oliver asked as he turned to the tree he had recently been sitting under, the tree clearly three sizes wider than him as he took an attack stance, Eanor looking on with a smirk. "Now then, lets see how strong a full force punch can be."

"How about we just pick up one of the wagons instead of possibly injuring yourself?" Eanor responded, making Oliver sigh as he walked to the wagon with the most metal on it. "Speaking of, how hard was it to drag over to here?"

"Not as hard as I expected, but it still took a good deal of work to get them here." Oliver replied as he stopped at the front of the wagon, soon crouching and gripping it by the pole holding the wheels on it, making sure his back was straight so it wouldn't get hurt during it. "But you were really allowed to enter the realm of the Aesir?"

"They viewed my actions, or rather our actions, as heroic from how we had put our endgame, or at least what the allfather saw of it." Eanor responded as Oliver lifted up with all his strength, the wagon slowly lifting as Eanor watched with a smirk. "How much weight do you think is in that?"

"From the fact that there are some hammer mauls in there that are shattered but weighing around 20 pounds all together, I'm guessing around four, maybe five hundred pounds." Oliver gritted as he lowered it back down, soon standing up as he looked and his arms and tightened his hands into fists, feeling the strength more than he had before now that he found a form of limit to it. "Ten times what I could lift back home without my abilities, regardless."

"Well we focused more on endurance than strength, so it would be amazing what could happen if someone who solely focused on their strength would do, like Isaac or Emily." Eanor spoke as Oliver walked to the farthest wagon from him before reaching in it and pulling out a large double axe that had cracks all over it. "How many more years till they get here?"

"From what Reginhard said, around two or three more." Oliver spoke as he walked back to the tree, getting the axe at the ready to try and chop into it as he closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. Eanor only watched confused before Oliver swung the axe as hard as he could into the tree, the blade going a few inches in before the pole broke with Oliver flinging himself to the side, making Eanor's eyes widen.

"You can't use your abilities?" Eanor asked, Oliver only sighing as he picked himself back up, looking to Eanor as his gaze glowed a light orange. the warrior then kept silent as Oliver looked at the pole, his eyes changing from their orange glow to a dark red as he felt his own anger welling up.

"It's not that I can't, I've been able to use it to understand the people of this world, but for some reason it's been limited greatly." Oliver spoke as he dropped the shaft, soon turning back to Eanor as he just looked at the broken pole. "You have any knowledge on it?"

"Possibly, given I was cut off completely from using my abilities." Eanor spoke, making the glow in Oliver's eyes vanish as he took his turn of looking confused. "We can still use our powers, mind you, but to a severe limitation, and only when given the option. For instance, only me and core forms can use our power to the ability we had during the final battle, but we can't increase on them. From what I heard, others have it worse to the point that the only thing they can do is just fix a papercut, but it's always the same. You can't regain your abilities until something causes you to have major emotional trauma, and the darkness itself gives you the choice on if you want it or not."

"I see..." Oliver spoke before he held up his hand, his mind focusing on something as Eanor watched, the shadows under his feet slowly going forward and welling in a pool before black flames sprouted as if from nowhere, the grass under and around it not even burning as it licked the areas around it. "Seems the only thing I can do right now is use the shadows around me for flames."

"Better than what I could've done when I had to live my life from scratch, or the guy you just got the memories from last night." Eanor spoke, making Oliver remember the other set of memories in his head. "Regardless, it may have the same borderlines as ours did; only an event that affects your thoughts personally can cause you to start using them."

"And since I'm the original, I'll be regaining all of it." Oliver responded as he kept his eyes on the flames. He then sighed before he waved his hand, the flames vanishing as fast as they appeared as he looked to Eanor. "Guess this means I'm stuck living like a normal person instead of how I planned to."

"I wouldn't say that." Eanor spoke as he walked over to Oliver, a smirk noticeable behind his beard as he looked eye to eye with the man. "We were chosen to hold that power, and we've always trained for just in case if we ever lost it. Besides, you get the perks of having knowledge best suited for an environment like this because of that."

"But in the meantime, I've made it back inside the halls of Valhalla, so I'll speak to you another day on it." Eanor responded, his form soon fading to black before falling into the shadows around them, Oliver just sighing as he heard the man's voice in his head. _'And next time you're ambushed, don't act like you don't know any better and actually fight like we normally do.'_

"Fine, you ass." Oliver sighed as he walked back to the tree with the axe dug deep into it, sigh as he tapped it with his fist before he turned back to the wagons. "Alright then, let's get to work on shadow-forging something."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, so then... I WAS going to toss this chapter up on thursday, but I've had to work overtime since wednesday and haven't had time to finish up on it, thus why it's up now. As always, give me any info on if it seems good or not, or if I need to rework how it's written in any way.
> 
> Till then, Ron is signing off.


	5. V: One Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter, as you may have guessed from the title, takes place one year after his arrival... Some of you may wonder "Why is that? I thought that this was supposed to start a big battle or some grand adventure." and that's a simple answer: in my head, Oliver literally did nothing but hunt, gathering information and improving his relationship with Serphia and Oric, along with some other fun bits, while Arlus himself was only looking through his reports, and keeping small tabs on Oliver with little to no contact. Likewise, as well, war doesn't start upon a string, it slowly shapes, and only the right ripples can spark a war from a flicker to a roaring flame. So, it remained that Oliver had lived his life of peace, as I wanted him to for the moment, until one day he was hunting within the forest around Emerial, all the while never giving up on his own training for his body...

Oliver awoke to the sound of a monsters cry, it's echo seeming to shake the forest around him as he looked around for his weapons, seeing the scar on his leg through a torn part of his pants as he picked himself up. There he was, one of the key leaders of an army that reshaped his country for the better and a person who always worked in aiding others, now out and about hunting as if he was some old retired Texan. However, it showed that he could still do some good with his career, given the past few months after he had built his house he found requests for killing certain creatures harming travelers and traders, getting himself his own way of making coin anonymously. Now here he was a year later, looking for a large beast that had taken residence near the area he had appeared and was terrorizing travelling merchants, sometimes leaving limbs in the process of its hunt, putting a high bounty on them to ensure safety for travellers. Oliver smiled as he picked up his bow and quiver, setting his quiver on his right side as he started recalling some of the history he had read through back at his home.

 _'Cao Cao had taken to hunting and reading after he retired from his duties as a guard commander of the north part of the capital and a prefect, and then went out of retirement and became one of the greatest generals of his time. Could say I'm taking his route in an opposite fashion...'_ Oliver thought as he picked up a small hunting knife from where it was resting, having used it the last night to make some arrows from the ones he had broken, before he it in it's sheath and started walking over to the direction he had heard the sounds. He stepped over stray branches and twigs as he kept his gaze on his surroundings, his hand resting on his arrows from his prior experiences with the beasts in the area. He had learned more about the land from Reginhard's observation of the terrain, and gained confirmation of his thoughts of the place being the world he had anticipated, having read through the story and seeing the Empire's seal enough times to not mark it as an impossibility. He could practically hear the entity whispering in his head smugly about it _'They'd probably say something like: well, when you yourself have the power to travel into alternate realities after planning on the possibility of having to leave to one, it shouldn't be surprising that something like this is possible.'_

He heard the monsters cry again, this time resounding with a second similar cry as he heard multiple shouts that were clearly human as he changed to a sprint, his hand soon grabbing one of his arrows as he moved through the trees and jumped over some fallen logs as he found himself amidst what he could consider to be it's path, soon finding himself on the trail in between Emerial and Reginald, one of the many trade partners with the town. There he found two large danger beasts that stood around sixteen to seventeen feet on four legs from his view of them, their claws long and sharp with their tails seeming to have a scorpions tail, but with the bodies of bears and their heads unable to be viewed from where he stood. In front of them, however, were a group of soldiers that still looked surprised by the attack, a dozen or so strewn around the animals with few still having their limbs attached. Oliver's gaze looked to the banner they were carrying, soon seeing the same banner that hung on the castle gates, making his eyes turn stern as he grabbed one more arrow from his quiver and kept them in his bow hand as he aimed his own arrow to the beast on his left, his mind going back to the survival skills his dad's friend taught him.

 _'Scorpions were poisonous and quick to sting anything it could call a prey or enemy, but with these creatures the tail probably works against larger danger beasts and could be easily fatal to humans from the puncture wound alone.'_ Oliver thought as he aimed his arrow at the stomach of one of the bears, moving to the side as one of the soldiers noticed him. he also noticed a severed arm with a two foot steel shield that held a small dent in it strewn a yard beside him, a sword right by his feet as he lightly stepped to it. _'These creatures have good traits, but should be slow with their bodies. I only need to kill them before any more problems are caused or distract them long enough for the soldiers to reform and manage proper formations, that way they can help if they need to.'_

With his mind set on his plan, he released the arrow and quickly grabbed the second one in his hand as he switched targets to the second monster within a small gap of three seconds, soon dropping to grab the sword beside him and sprinting to the shield as he dropped his bow. The first arrow hit its mark, going deep enough to where only the feathers were visible as it cried out in clear pain, the second coming off slightly and only hitting the upper back of the second beast, stopping only halfway in as the creature grunted from the sudden attack as the soldiers backed up, both turning to Oliver as he grabbed the shield and worked on pulling the fingers of the hand off of the shields guard as the second beast sprinted for him, the first already beginning to bleed out as it looked at Oliver enraged.

Oliver finally managed to pull the shield free as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a swipe from the beast as he put his hand through the handle of the shield, coming back up and lifting it to block the creatures stinger. His eyes finally caught a clear glimpse of it's face, the features clearly being that of a wolf, making him grow more serious now that he knew the traits as he took a defensive stance, his shield raised and his sword angled to where it could come from either under or over the shield as the two began circling each other. There was then the sound of hooves as the two were circling before an armored woman rode up to the back, her armor's features clearly that of a general as she looked at what was happening.

"Lass, I'd suggest you go after that other one before it finally decides to not care about that wound I inflicted and go on a mad rampage." Oliver shouted over to her as he kept his gaze on the beast, which in turn tried to strike at him with it's tail again as he angled the shield to push it to the side, soon slicing upward and chipping off the stinger just as it was reeling back to it's position. The beast soon cried out as Oliver took the chance to run forward and attempt to slash at its legs, the creature in turn moving back as the the woman looked to the other beast, who had now finally come out of it's pain and was looking at its attacker enraged.

The woman quickly drew her sword, clicking her heels into her horse while the creature crouched for a charge before she rode past it's gaze, slashing her blade up and through it's neck, severing its head as Oliver dodged another attack from his own beast and took the opportunity to slash into the front right leg of the beast, giving him enough leeway to spin under with the blade's slash as the beast wobbled from the sudden cut and stab up into the creature's chest, the beast beginning to scream in pain as Oliver's blade went through before he twisted the blade, blood coming down Oliver's sword and onto his arms as he pushed it to the side, the beast's life now fading as it went with the push. The soldiers were still standing there dumbfounded as the woman rode forward to Oliver, cleaning her blade with a small cloth while she looked at him.

"You acted rather stupidly in attacking two creatures that had obviously cut through a good deal of my men." the woman spoke, Oliver only as he dropped the shield in his left hand and stretched both hands behind his back, getting a few good pops from them as he felt the muscles he had used have a familiar burn to them. Now that Oliver could get a good look at her, he saw that her hair was a clean black that had parts of it reflecting the sunlight, making her look more as a figurehead than a general, though the stern gaze from her eyes proved otherwise, their gaze topped with their color as blue as the sky.

"I followed the sounds of death, found a key position of an ambush and took it, expecting your soldiers to have the knowledge to form up in groups and use either spears or arrows to try dealing with them." Oliver responded as he lowered his arms, soon turning to the monster as he looked at it's body structure and checked the lower area he had stabbed into, the blade still glinting in the beasts chest. He then turned and walked over to the second creature, kneeling down to look for any differences as the soldiers murmured in front of him. "The dead should be mourned, but they were hopefully the last to fall to these beasts, given these two were both male and more than likely didn't have anyone to breed with."

"Truly..." the woman spoke before she looked at the bodies in front of her troops. Oliver watched as the warrior closed her eyes for a short time before opening them, staring dead at her troops as she sheathed her blade, her voice resounding through the area. "We continue our march to Emerial, where we'll ask the guards in the barracks to come take the dead! Six of you will stay here and ensure nothing happens to the bodies."

With that said Oliver looked over to find five soldiers, their helmets hiding their faces, step out from the front line, their eyes grave from the deaths they more than likely saw, a sixth soon stepping forward from far back and looking around it in shock. "You'll stay here and help them return to the town, understood." The woman spoke as Oliver looked up, nodding as he pulled his bag off of his back and took out a skinning knife.

"I'll be heading back in the same direction anyway." Oliver spoke as he stabbed his blade into the creature while the soldiers reformed and marched around the bodies. The general then nodded before she turned and rode forward, more than likely to keep the men up front with decent morale as the six others moved to the side of the road, Oliver finishing his cut through it and beginning to take the skin off of it as the soldiers passed, some murmuring as he kept his gaze on his work. When the soldiers finally passed and had taken a turn to Emerial, one of the soldiers walked up to Oliver as he took a quick break to let the body bleed out.

"You seem to have gotten accustomed to your new trade, Oliver." the volunteer spoke in a familiarly feminine voice, making Oliver smile as he turned to her.

"And a soldiers outfit doesn't make you look any different from the next, Serphia." Oliver replied before the soldier took off her helmet, revealing the guard he had first met when he arrived here. She had occasional run ins with him while he was eating at the bar, and had eventually become his friend and a form of teacher about this world for him on the things his abilities couldn't show him. "War doesn't seem to have changed you, though."

"Well amazingly we didn't have to do much fighting, we managed to surround and quickly defeat any enemy armies without much of a fight, and I was working reconnaissance when there was any major fights." Serphia replied, soon seeing the dagger on his belt. "Still holding that dagger anywhere you go, then?"

"Old habits die hard." Oliver replied as he cleaned the skinning blade off on his shirt, seeing as the sleeves and chest area were already stained with the same blood anyway. "So then, have you been training in what I showed you?"

"Yes sir, been moving rocks into a circle from one side of the camp to the other, and it caught the generals interest in what I was doing." Serphia spoke, reminding Oliver of the day she had left while she changed her tone to a more worried one. "Did anyone try to mess with Sylphy while I was away?"

"Not that I've seen, and she normally comes to my house to tell me about the letters you send her." Oliver replied smiling, Serphia looking almost ecstatic when she heard before she remembered the bodies around them and looked over at one of the bodies, a soldier's head in a pool of blood while the right eye hole had a clear dent from a stinger. Oliver only sighed as he saw where she was staring. "There are some times you can't stop deaths, Serphia, you have to remember that. The fact these creatures are dead means their deaths weren't in vain, they stopped a larger number of bodies from piling up."

"Excuse me, but what right do you have to say their deaths make sense?" came one of the soldiers, soon making Oliver look at him as the man stood up and walked forward.

"I never said it made sense, I only said that it ended up serving purpose." Oliver spoke as he looked back at the bodies, the man stopping around a few feet behind him. "If you only look at the cause of their deaths, you see it as meaningless, but if you see it at the grand scale of things, you see it has a purpose that has prolonged effects. If it was battle, you'd see more meaningless deaths from stupid tacticians than the way nature acts."

"Don't worry about what that guy's saying, he's only a hunter." one of the other soldiers shouted to the volunteer that had gotten up, who just seethed and walked back to the group, who had begun to talk while Serphia looked at them a bit peeved.

"Don't let what people say rent space in your head, especially if it's not about you, otherwise you let them win." Oliver spoke as he kneeled back down to the creature in front of him, making Serphia look back at him confused as he continued his cutting through the creature's skin. "Besides, I rather like the title I have at the moment, though the insults from some higher classes are rather odd. Not one insult calling me a bloodhound yet, sadly... was one of the few things I was looking forward to being called."

"I still don't get your way of thinking, though with your view on things I'm not complaining." Serphia spoke as Oliver began to cut up and around the upper legs of the creature, keeping an eye on the bodies as he wandered back into thought.

-eight months ago-

Oliver was returning to town for the first time this month, this time with a small cart with three human sized reptiles to sell that had a similar look to small dragons, though each held feathers on their wings and parts of their back instead of the webbing he had normally seen. As he was passing the bar he had worked at with Oric, he saw three royally armored soldiers harassing one of the waitresses, making him sigh as he moved his cart to be beside the window, placing his hand beside his dagger's sheath as he walked into the bar to see Oric starting to walk over to deal with the three. Once he saw Oliver, however, he stopped and only nodded as Oliver stared over at him, soon turning back to the soldiers as he whispered to one of the waiters, who ran out of the bar as soon as Oric was staring back at the three.

"Excuse me, but your coat of arms doesn't allow you to do as you please here." Oliver spoke, his gaze scanning the armor that they wore. Though their pauldrons were steel plate, their gloves were leather and their chest protection was chainmail, meaning that heavy blows could still hit them hard. The three men just continued what they were doing, one of them even reaching for the waitress before Oliver grabbed the man's arm and slammed it on the table, causing the three to look at him as the waitress left the table quickly. "Like I said, your coat of arms doesn't give you the right to do as you please. If you continue this behavior then we'll have to ask you to leave."

"Just who do you think you're talking to?" one of the soldiers spoke as the waiter returned with three of the guards, who just looked over in shock as the three men stood up staring at Oliver. He could understand why, though; the men bore the crest of the elite soldiers, so they were supposed to be above even the guards of the city. From what he had heard, however, some of the men only acted elite around their general and caused havoc in the city on small occasions, and though the general had managed to deal with most of the ones he knew of, there were still some that caused trouble. "We're the Dragon guard, the king's elite soldiers. Our coat of arms is among the highest law."

"Even furthering your own idiocy, otherwise you would show honor to the coat you bear on your chest." Oliver replied as he spoke, making one of the men clench his fist as he looked him dead in the eye, Oliver's glare making the man shake from its pressure. "Now if you really want to fight me over this, then you can do so outside. If not, show honor to your king and act like proper soldiers."

With that one of the guys to his right had it and tried to punch him, causing Oliver to simply step back as he lifted his hand and grabbed the man's arm, soon pulling him further than he intended before he slammed straight into the table across from him, causing some of the people to get up and move out of the tavern as Oric walked to the guards, who were just staring at the events in silence. the man to Oliver's left tried to kick his shin, to which he just quick stepped back while the third man kept his daze from the stare Oliver had given him, the second guy soon trying to kick Oliver again before he grabbed a nearby chair and slid it in the way, causing the man to yell as his shin hit the wooden surface of it.

"Well then, I guess that's a no to honor?" Oliver asked as the third man saw the dagger, soon smirking as he looked at the guards.

"Arrest this man for resisting a guard with an open weapon." the man spoke, making the three look at each other confused while Oliver smirked.

"Really, with what weapon?" Oliver spoke as he picked up his dagger by it's sheath, sliding it off of his belt. "This can't be drawn."

"We'll see." the man spoke as he drew his blade, soon followed by some shouting as Serphia pushed through the crowd that had started to gather in front of the tavern, looking at what was happening while the other two guys were going for their own weapons.

"Oric, those monsters out front are for your stew, if you're interested in making it." Oliver spoke as he set his dagger on the bar, looking over to Serphia as he smiled. "Hey, does it count as resisting arrest if they started the fight?"

"No, but it is considered a crime punishable by death if you go using a weapon against them or go killing them." Serphia replied in shock as Oliver rolled his sleeves back, sighing as his gaze changed from it's amused gleam to a far more serious glare that seemed to cause some people watching to feel his presence. the three men soon circled him as he kept his gaze on each and their footing, their weapons held poorly with only one hand when they were clearly two handed weapons.

"So I'm free to fight them with hand to hand so long as I don't take their swords from them?" Oliver asked as he cracked his knuckles, Serphia soon nodding before he turned back to the three and took an attack stance, the three soldiers already circled around him as he analyzed their stances, smirking as he stood back up and looked at them. "Wait, you guys are seriously calling yourselves elite with those stances? Wow, you really are pathetic."

That seemed to push the man on his left over the edge as he charged at him and swung his blade in an upward side slash, to which Oliver ducked under and sweep-kicked his legs from under him, using the momentum to slide over to the next guy to his right and smashing his fist into the man's stomach. He then looked over to the next guy, who had already stepped forward and tried to slash down on him before Oliver stood directly in front of the guy, pushing him back to their table where he bounced off instead of taking the table with him. _'Oric, you really knew where to buy these things.'_ Oliver thought as he noticed that neither that table or the other one had budged when they were hit, but his thoughts were cut short as he turned to see the man he had punched back up and drawing his blade back to strike him.

Oliver instinctively spun counter clockwise, living his left foot and smashing it straight into the man's chest, smashing him back into a chair right beside the door, now having a larger crowd watching while he walked over and grabbed some of the plates by one of the tables, soon ducking from another blade swipe from the soldier he had pushed onto the table as he noticed the man he had hit the start of the fight lying unconscious, his head having hit the chair beside him, though it didn't seem to be fatal from the small bruise starting up. Oliver set the dishes on the bar as the last soldier tried to smash the hilt of his blade on his head before he spun around and grabbed the man by his throat, lifting the man up in the air as his eyes had a faint red glow around them.

"If you're done acting like a child, the exit's over there." Oliver spoke in a clear annoyance as he tossed the man to the door, who just got back up and readied his blade as he looked at Oliver in fear, seeing the glow in his eyes as Oliver took an attack stance in case the man decided to attack.

"Cease this fighting immediately!" came a voice a bit behind the crowd, snapping the man and the crowd out of the fight as Oliver's gaze changed back, soon looking past the guards to find a man walk past them that seemed to tower over everyone, his armor full steel plate with the dragon crest engraved upon it.

"General." the man spoke as he kneeled, his gaze on the ground. "This man had readied a weapon to fight us with, and we were only trying to kill him as given the rights."

"That is a fabrication of the truth, he didn't draw or grab any weapon." came Oric, which the man looked over to before Oric pointed to his dagger. "That's the only weapon I know him having outside of some broken ones he keeps at his home, and he's even said that it can't be drawn, it's only for decoration."

The general's gaze then looked to the dagger before returning to Oliver. "May I?" the general spoke before Oliver nodded, raising his left hand to it as an open statement as the general walked over and grabbed the sheath, soon gripping the hilt before pulling at it, his arms soon shaking as the sheath remained in place, not budging an inch. The general stopped and looked at it with stern eyes, turned his head and nodded to Oliver as he released his grip on the blade. He then turned to the man as the other one Oliver had kicked slumped over, finally unconscious from the kick. "You and your friends here will be coming to the barracks immediately to be stripped of your ranks and privileges, along with any right to bear a blade in this city. Take them to the barracks and throw them in the cells."

The guards then nodded and moved fast to follow orders, Serphia looking at Oliver in shock as the general walked to him, handing his dagger over. "Quite a strange blade you have here, but it's weight feels like it's perfectly balanced." the general spoke as Oliver took it. "It felt as if it was preventing me from drawing it."

"That's what shadow-forged weapons do, depending on what they're made for." Oliver spoke, his gaze on the sheath as he tugged at the dagger, his own tug useless as he set it on his belt. "In the case of this one, it can't be drawn outside of night, or when the user feels they require it most, and even then it can't cut through anything."

"A strange weapon description, but with the distance between you and it by the time I came here, along with the heat of the hilt, it's obvious you didn't use it." the general spoke as he turned and saw Serphia still standing there, a few more guards that had come in from the crowd now walking through and grabbing the two unconscious soldiers and the only conscious one and dragging them off. The man only walked up to her, his form towering over her as Serphia looked up at him. "From what I heard from a waiter, a blonde haired girl that belongs to the guard barracks gave this man the advice on the weapon code, correct? Keep up the work you're doing."

"Sir." Serphia replied as she stood in attention, the general only nodding as the crowd followed the arrested soldiers before he walked out, Oliver sighing as he sat back in the chair behind him and Oric took a look at the creatures he brought, Serphia walking to him as he looked at the ceiling. "How did you learn to fight like that?"

"I trained in martial arts with my father as my instructor, his training dealing with me facing multiple enemies instead of a traditional one on one fight outside of a twenty round match." Oliver spoke as he remembered the times he had trained with his father soon after he had told him of his deal with the raven, shuddering from the memories of his training going into his head before he looked at Serphia, who seemed to be shaking as she looked down at the ground under her, making his gaze turn serious. "What is it?"

"Is it possible if you'd be willing in taking on students?" Serphia asked as she looked up at him, Oliver smirking as he looked over at her, soon standing up and walking past to head to Oric.

"Tell you what, you come to my home sometime with determination in your eyes and an open mind, I'll consider it." Oliver replied, Serphia looking over to him in shock as he left out the door, soon turning to Oric so he could see to getting a deal on the monsters.


	6. VI

"Lady Elia, it's good to see you returned safely." came a voice as the woman general rode in front of her army, soon seeing the elite general at the front of the city entrance. "I take it your trip went well?"

"Up to just before we made it here, we were attacked by two large danger beasts." the general spoke as she got off her horse, looking around as her troops halted behind her. She then turned to them as she kept her gaze stern, soon shouting to where the could all hear it. "Alright, feel free to head to the tavern or anywhere at your own leisure for the day, you've earned it!"

This got some sound shouts of confirmation before they started to march past her and Darius, Elia soon looking around as she noticed a lack of soldiers. "Where's my father and his honor guard at, Darius?"

"Our father's finishing some negotiations with an envoy from the King of Ilas, Elia." came a voice to her right, making her turn her head in confusion to find Arlus sitting at the steps of one of the houses while reading a book. He then smirked as he closed the book before getting up, turning to her as she kept her eyes on him. "It's good to see you, sister."

"You're outside of your room?" Elia responded, making Arlus' grin only grow as Darius looked at her with a sense of urgency.

"More importantly, you said you were attacked by two large danger beasts?" Darius asked, Elia only nodding as she looked to him. "Yet you're completely unscathed..."

"Say that to the men killed by them when they appeared from the forest." Elia responded, making the two look at her shocked as her gaze turned stern, her troops marching past. "Fortunately for us, however, there was a hunter that decided to hit one of them in a weak spot and distract the two, in fact he was busy fighting the last able bodied danger beast while I took the chance to kill the one he wounded. Our men up front, however, were hit hard, so I had to lead them over while some troops stayed behind to ensure that the bodies of the fallen aren't touched."

"You didn't leave them alone out there, did you?" Arlus spoke as he looked at her, his gaze amused as he noticed Darius just looking at her.

"No, the hunter is with them so that they can return here after I send some city guards out." Elia responded as she looked back to the path she had walked from, the last parts of the troops now marching past them as she remembered the skirmish. "He was quick with shooting the first one with his bow and arrow, and resourceful to use the shield to defend from the second one. However, his skill with a sword and shield were better than any experienced warriors I've seen that have fought in it."

"Was it, now?" Arlus mused, his own mind recalling the man he had talked to a year ago about land. _'It could be the same man.'_ Arlus thought as he remembered the land they chose being in the same direction. "So their abilities interested you?"

"Yes, actually." Elia responded as she looked to Arlus, who started moving off while signalling the two to follow. The three then began their walk as there were hushed whispers in the daily events of the city, Elia's mind now going through what was said.

"Knowing that road your men marched from, it's more than likely the same man that dealt with some of the undisciplined knights that were in the elite guard over in the tavern." Darius spoke, causing Elia to look at him shocked. "Thankfully so, too, given they should've been kicked out of the corps long ago with how they acted."

"He dealt with the guards without being arrested?" Elia responded, Darius only nodding as they took a turn that led to the guard barracks in the city, Arlus only smirking as he listened to the two. "How on earth did he manage that."

"By that girl who transferred from the city guard to your army, Elia." Arlus spoke as they entered the barracks, making her look at him confused as the soldiers within immediately stood in attention. "According to the reports from eight months ago, they were treating a waitress there poorly when he stepped in, and after she told him about the weapons code he proceeded to fight all of them unarmed. From what my spies have gathered, she was also training under him in far stricter conditions than we put our own soldiers in, and ended up in your own army division."

"You mean Serphia?" Elia asked as she remembered the girl, Arlus only nodding as he noticed a smile starting on her face. the girl had been good in reconnaissance and even in battle during some key ambushes, putting her up for a possibility of ranking up. "She had talked about her instructor a lot when she was moving large stones around the camp, saying he had ordered her to do so for training her muscles. To think I had been given a chance to see him fight..."

"You seem to be having some expectations for him, Elia." Arlus responded as Darius walked past him and to the counter, soon speaking to the barrack captain about sending soldiers to the road. "Are you actually thinking of seeing exactly how strong he could be?"

"Maybe, if you know where his house is." Elia responded, making Arlus only shake his head as he sighed.

"He made his home in a part of the forest that's only accessible by those who have been there before, and my spies only go so far in to try to locate it before they're risking their lives to the beasts in the forests." Arlus responded as he looked to Darius as the man was conversing, his gaze strict. "I can, however, get someone to send a message to him from you if you truly want to meet him again and see his strength."

"It would be appreciated, he could be strong enough to face my fighting style." Elia responded as she kept her smile, making Arlus only look at her as she looked to two axes set up on the wall. "Though I don't really expect much from someone who's decided to hide away from society."

"You're curse of nobility is showing, Elia." Arlus sighed as Elia looked over to him annoyed. "Even your instructor said that would cause some major problems if you were-"

"My lady, They'll need a specific location from you in order to reach the group." Darius interrupted, making the two look at him as he held his hand out towards the counter, a map now laying on it as Elia sighed.

"Just because he could handle one large danger beast and three knights easily doesn't give him a strength above gods, it only means he's yet to find a limit." Elia responded as she walked past Arlus, who only sighed as she leaned over the map. "I'll hand you the letter I'll want you to give him later, for now we worry about the bodies of my men."

 _'She worries over her men yet calls the man who saved the rest not that strong...'_ Arlus thought as he walked over to her, his mind already going through his recollection of the man. _'I guess I'll keep silent on him killing six of those other danger beasts a year back and see how things go. Who knows, it could be fun seeing her snapped to reality.'_

* * *

Oliver finished placing the pelts on a tanning rack, now drying out after he washed them of all the blood as he went inside to change into a new shirt, still wearing the one he had in his fight with the beasts. The guards found the place rather easily and allowed Oliver and Serphia to take the remaining soldiers on the path to Emerial before he stopped at the outskirts by his house, where he split from them and went to set the items he took from the beasts for a bit. After a few trips, he ended up carrying both their pelts, both of their hind legs, and both poison glands before the body had some of the smaller beasts beginning to dine on the two carcasses. Oliver thought through the whole fight he had, remembering how the woman had been treating him through it all.

 _'Her gaze on me was just like I was a simple hunter, but knowing I had more power than I showed in my own fight.'_ Oliver thought as he grabbed a white long sleeved shirt from beside his bed, something he normally wore while training in his forms, before he walked out of his house, stretching as he felt the tension from the fight still remaining in his back. He then heard a whistle towards his direction before he turned to find Oric riding over on a painted horse, a smile on his face as he saw the pelts on the rack. Oliver only smiled as he walked to his right, sitting down in one of the two chairs he had set on both sides of his door. He had made the house facing south, and had a view of a bit of the forest and the trail heading to town because of it.

"I heard from some soldiers coming in that you defeated the creatures attacking the trade route with the aid of General Elia." Oric spoke as he stopped his horse and dismounted, Oliver only nodding as he leaned back in his chair to gaze out at the area. Oric soon walked up to the house steps as Oliver looked at it's porch. The house itself wasn't too big, but it was still big enough to have more than one person living in it if needed, having a bedroom separate and the kitchen and living quarters in the same area. Thanks to the building of the house being a set ambition, he had been able to use his powers for a short time. However, as soon as the house had windows set in and a chimney and fireplace, taking around two months from having to make them with the shadow-fire, his powers vanished from his control, probably because he knew he could do the rest without them. Oric noticed his gaze before he looked up at the porch roof, his own thoughts on the matter finally coming out. "I'm still amazed that you made this place with what little items you had been given, and how sturdy it is compared to most of the houses in town. Are you sure you don't want to go into carpentry?"

"Nope, wouldn't suit me given I would have to wear women's clothing and hang around in your tavern." Oliver joked, causing Oric to look at him confused before he sighed. "Forget it, it's a terrible joke that few people got anyway and nothing anyone here would know. So then, the general's name is Elia?"

"Yes, she's among the best generals in the battlefield, according to the soldiers that come to the tavern now and then." Oric spoke as he sat in the chair to the left of the door, staring over to Oliver as he held a confused look. "You've honestly never heard of her throughout the year you've been here?"

"Not outside the hustle of commotion in some crowds, which you know me to avoid, so I'm guessing from your tone that she's more important than someone of general status?" Oliver questioned, looking over to Oric before the barkeep nodded, his gaze now stricter than it normally was.

"She's got a lot of pressure on her at the moment from her victories, and not just because she's among the three female generals in the king's army." Oric spoke, leaning forward from the chair he was sitting in as Oliver looked at him confused. "She's the second child of the king, his first daughter out of the six children and next in line if Arlus dies."

"Truly? That does explain the way she spoke to me." Oliver spoke, his gaze wandering back to the trees in front of the house while his mind worked. "Serphia said that she had a good amount of victories in the battles she had led."

"Indeed, she's been out in the field for over a year facing the enemies around the kingdom, leaving half a year before your arrival." Oric spoke, soon reaching into his shirt before he pulled out a letter. "In fact, she's sent for you after hearing of your actions eight months ago, along with some of the stories Serphia has said about your training."

"She should keep her head out of the stories." Oliver replied, making Oric look at him in shock as he looked on at the forest his house viewed. "I've no plan for going to war, nor do I intend on teaching my style to anyone that can't withstand it."

"You have no idea if she's actually asking that, and it would be denying a direct order from the crown." Oric spoke, Oliver looking over at him with a small grin on his face.

"Who said I wasn't going?" Oliver spoke as he stood up, soon taking the letter as he walked down the steps, heading towards a leveled area to the east of his house. "Go ahead and tell them I'm heading over, Oric. I'll be training for a short bit before I do, though."

Oric only nodded, soon standing before he left the porch, Oliver walking down to the center of the leveled ground as he kept his own mind on what would come, soon kneeling as he closed his eyes to prepare his mind for both the training and afterwards.

_-eight months ago, two days after the fight in the tavern-_

Oliver heard a knock on the door as he was roasting a beast leg on a makeshift grill he put on his fireplace, it in itself being made from a broken metal shield, his gaze focused on the work as he flipped the leg over. "It's open!" Oliver shouted, soon hearing the door open as he turned to see Serphia entering. "So you did come, but do you have determination in your eyes?"

"I wish to train under you." Serphia spoke, Oliver standing up as he placed a metal lid over the beast leg and turned to her, letting it roast in the heat as he walked forward past the table as he stared into her eyes.

 _'Unwavering, but still lost of their own path.'_ Oliver thought as she kept her gaze locked with his, a smirk coming off as he stopped just a few feet away. "Before we see if you have what it takes to train, I have one single question." Oliver spoke as he leaned on the table, his smirk remaining on his face as Serphia looked at him. "What purpose do you wish to learn it for, and why?"

"I wish to be stronger in order to defend others, and to stop the people that try to harm the innocent." Serphia replied, her gaze staying unchanged as he kept his look on her. "I don't know how I wish to do it yet, but I know that I want to save anyone I can."

"I see..." Oliver replied as he noticed the tenacity in her eyes, the fire burning in them with her answer. He then stood straight as his voice turned to that of a officer talking to a recruit. "My form of training is harder than most, in which it can't be taken by the weak willed without either physical or mental trauma from their own lack of determination. In short, only those whose determination is close, equal, or surpassing my own may be able to handle this training, while others that do not either quit or die in it. Knowing this, are you still up to training in the art?"

Serphia kept her gaze on him, her face unchanging as he noticed her eyes in thought before it returned to a determined glare. "I'll do whatever comes in the training, no questions asked." Serphia replied, Oliver soon smiling before he walked past her while signalling her to follow, opening the door and going down the steps to some of the field tools he had used to level the ground if his powers hadn't come out. He then grabbed the hoe and shovel before turning to Serphia as she walked up behind him.

"If you truly wish to train, then make a leveled area over to the east of the house, or to the right of how you're facing it now." Oliver spoke as he handed both to her, making her look at him confused as he walked over to where his bow and quiver were laying, recently bought with the money he had gotten for the Danger beasts he sold Oric. "After it's around the size and width of three fourths of the house, wait for me to return. And don't go trying to do it all at once, take breaks when you need them."

Serphia only looked at the tools he gave her confused before looking back up at him as he was leaving. "How is this to determine if I should train?" Serphia shouted to him as he started to go through the woods, making him laugh loud enough for her to here.

"I'll tell you after you manage it, if you're still up for training with me!" Oliver replied before he sprinted off, leaving the blonde haired girl to the tools as she looked at them again before sighing.

"No way am I backing out now." Serphia spoke to herself, soon walking to the right of the house before she began to work, her hands a bit clumsy to each swing as she kept her mind on the endgame of it all. She soon saw him running back, however, making her look over confused as he sprinted into the house.

"I forgot that I already caught some food!" Oliver shouted from in the house as if knowing her look at his return, making her sigh as she went back to working on the field.

 _'How on earth is someone like him that talented in fighting?'_ Serphia thought, her swings increasing in speed as Oliver slightly opened the lid covering the cooking meat.

_-present time-_

Oliver arrived at the castle gates, two guards standing as sentries while he walked up from the main road that led to the plaza, holding the letter now opened. From what he read, it was simply a paper stating that he had a meeting with the princess, but outside of that there was very little details on why or where in the castle. He then watched as some soldiers were coming from around the other side of the castle walls and walking through the gates with their helmets off, soon seeing Serphia talking with a few other soldiers as the gates opened for them before she saw him and ran over.

"Oliver, what's bringing you from your usual path around the city?" Serphia asked, soon seeing Oliver's letter as her gaze turned curious. "And what's that in your hand?"

"A letter requesting my presence, seems that someone's gone and talked about my training and actions, according to Oric." Oliver spoke as he raised up the paper, Serphia's eyes widening as she listened. "I'm to meet the princess over in the castle, though as to where I have no clue."

"If I knew she would be asking for you from the stories, I wouldn't have told her that much about them." Serphia spoke, Oliver only smirking as he patted her shoulder.

"No need to worry about it, honestly I'd have probably gotten bored in another few years along the line or got sick of some bastards in armor and actually killed them, putting me in a worse situation." Oliver responded, making Serphia look up at him confused. "Either way, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but don't you have someone you need to meet up with?"

"Right, Sylphy!" Serphia responded, going wide-eyed before she ran off without saying another word, Oliver smirking as he turned to the gates, closed again as he walked up to them.

"Stop and state your business." Came one of the guards, having moved from his position on the right side and down the center as Oliver stopped. Oliver only smiled as he handed him the letter, the guard taking it and giving it a quick look before handing it back. "I'll send for the princess's guard to ensure that it was sent by her."

"That won't be necessary." came a female voice above the three men before they looked up, soon seeing the general right above them. _'Okay, I've heard of help from above, but this is ridiculous.'_ Oliver thought as he saw her jump down and land in front of them, soon turning to the guard as her gaze held a commanding presence to them. "I can vouch that I sent for him, so open the gates."

"Yes, your highness." the guard replied before he waved his hand at the other guard, both soon moving to their designated side of the gate before pushing both doors open, the general and Oliver walking through as he kept his gaze on her.

"So you're Princess Elia." Oliver spoke as the gates closed behind them, the general only nodding as she signaled him to follow as they turned away from the castle doors and towards what looked like a training ground, Oliver seeing the same sigil that the Dragon's Guard bore as he walked alongside her. "I would say it's nice to see you again, but the lack of introductions and conversation at the time keeps from that."

Now that he had a good look of her as well, he noticed she had changed from her armor into something similar to what he could see in practice swordplay, baggy black pants that looked more than able to maneuver around areas and give no restraint to the wearer, while the shirt she wore was of a black short sleeve shirt that was made of a fabric he could only guess as cotton. "Indeed, plus I'm not surprised you didn't know who I am since it's my first time back in awhile." Elia responded as they entered the area, snapping him out of his observation as he looked to see a few of the guards training in a sparring match with wooden swords as she turned to him. "What do you see with their training? And don't say you don't know, because the stance that you had while facing the other beast along with your strikes against it show otherwise, along with what I learned about your actions a few months ago."

Oliver sighed before he looked over at them, his gaze watching their stances and footing. _'Good footing, but they're too light on their feet and hold back on their swings because they're facing comrades.'_ Oliver thought, his gaze watching as two guards were trading blows, one blocking the blows and sliding their blade forward in a counter attack, soon finding the weapon at their opponents chest. However, he noticed another two sparring with poles, their own training seeming rather sluggish and slow, but still up to par to manage in a formation. "They have good training in weaponry, but the footing they have is a little sluggish." Oliver spoke, looking over to her as he kept his gaze stern. "Along with this, the swordsmen are too light footed for formation battles, though it's hard to say with how they're holding back because they're facing their allies. I would say that they'd be better learning how to block and take a hit rather than giving one out."

"You think so?" Elia asked as she looked to the men, her eyes noticing the pattern he was talking about as one of the training guards fell back as they missed a swipe. "How would you choose to train them, then?"

"Not up to me, I have too little information on the formations you all use in battle, plus any ideas I'd have could probably injure them badly." Oliver replied as he raised his hands up nonchalantly, soon lowering them as he looked to her. "Oric already told me that you knew of my exploits, so what is it that you really want?"

"You're not one for small talk, then?" Elia asked, looking at Oliver as he kept his gaze on her. She then sighed before she walked a few steps away, turning to him. "I heard of the training you put Serphia through, and how much it had benefitted her own fights during the rare times she had to fight against groups. She's actually in due for a promotion for her actions in saving her comrades with your own training, and how she's acted above and beyond her rank."

"So she did see fighting while on the reconnaissance team." Oliver sighed as he looked up at the sky, seeing the sun directly above them as he looked back to the general. "If you're going to try to recruit me or have me train the men, I'll have to decline. Otherwise-"

"I'm not asking you to do either, I'm simply curious on exactly how strong you are." Elia interrupted as she walked to one of the training weapon racks, grabbing two wooden blades and tossing one of them at Oliver, who simply caught it as he looked at her confused. "My men are strong enough to hold their own in battle, but they can't keep up with my own fighting prowess."

"So you're asking me to spar with you and see if I can pose a challenge?" Oliver asked, a smirk on his face before he dropped the sword, making Elia look at him confused as the other guards noticed the princess and the hunter, soon stopping in their training and watching. "Sorry, but I've strictly kept to not holding a weapon outside of hunting since I've been here."

"So you're declining?" Elia spoke, her tone suddenly strict as Oliver kept his smirk, his own gaze turning serious while he turned around. "Do you think I'm not that much of a challenge?"

"Not at all, I just think you should focus that interest in someone other than a simple hunter." Oliver responded before he heard a set of footsteps running for him, causing him to crouch down as Elia's wooden sword swung just over him. His gaze quickly turned to hers as she continued the arc of the blade, spinning as it changed into a stab towards Oliver's head, causing him to kick himself back to the wooden blade he had dropped. He soon landed and slid his right foot back into a stance as he raised his arms into a guard, staring as he looked at her own stance, the blade raised directly in front of her while both hands rested on the hilt. _'A two handed sword stance, but given her own strength with her sword and the way she severed the head of the beast, she could easily be able to break my bones with that weapon.'_ Oliver thought as he switched his stance, his hands changing into open palms as he raised them. _'Her stance also shows her experience being adept to the weapon, but the fact she's a general also shows her strength... If I make one wrong move here, I could lose the use of an arm or leg for a while.'_

Oliver's thoughts were cut off as Elia jumped forward in a downward slash, his stance immediately sliding to the side as he went for a palm press towards her stomach, causing her to jump back as she quickly switched her blades direction to and upward angle towards him, his feet position shifting quickly as he took two steps back, keeping his stance as Elia landed and changed her blade to a thrusting position. "How about this, then, if you're not keen on fighting seriously with the current conditions." Elia spoke, Oliver moving his front palm down to where it could move to defend various areas as he looked at her. "If you can last for three minutes without receiving a hit, I'll immediately promote Serphia instead of waiting for the next month."

"If she is capable of being promoted, then let her show that she's up to it, not her instructor." Oliver replied as he side stepped from Elia's thrust, soon lifting his leg and smashing it down on her blade in an axe kick, breaking the wooden sword in half as she sweeped at his remaining leg, kicking it up as he used the momentum to spin and aim for a back kick. Elia blocked the next hit with the hilt in response, sliding back a good few feet from the force to the other wooden blade as Oliver landed, soon standing up as she looked at the broken weapon she had before tossing it to the side, picking up the other weapon as Oliver stood up from his stance. "Only those who are qualified for such ranks should be given them, not as gifts for others achievements."

"So you'd let your student stay at a rank even if the person above her doesn't see her potential?" Elia spoke, soon going for a side slash as Oliver ducked under it, going for a sweep kick as the general in turn jumped up, going for a spin kick of her own and causing Oliver to cross both of his arms to the side to block it, the contact giving a resounding smack as he switched his hands and grabbed her leg, tossing her to the opposite end before she landed on her back and rolled back to a standing position.

"If she's capable of it, and has the ambition to rise in rank, then she should demand it herself." Oliver spoke as he took an attack stance. "Now if you're done poking around what I'd want, I'm finished warming up."

 _'Her fighting style isn't bad, but it's rigid. Though her stance is good, she's obviously not used to a longsword type of fighting so I'll have to force her best form out with a good hit.'_ Oliver then sprinted forward before going for a right kick, Elia backing up a bit as Oliver slammed it to the ground and continued it's momentum with his left leg, going for a back whip kick to her head as she ducked under it, about to aim for a thrust before he lifted his planted foot with the spin and slammed it into her side, tossing her back as she landed to the side, the guards who were training along with a few others that had been about to walk in now staring in awe as Elia took her attack stance again, gritting her teeth and gripping her side as Oliver returned to his attack stance.

"Fine, I'm done as well." Elia spoke as she took a new attack stance with her weapon, catching Oliver's interest as he slowly started to move to the side.

 _'This isn't a longsword stance I've seen, in fact it almost looks like that of Derek's stance when he faced me with that katana of his.'_ Oliver thought as he watched her gaze on him, her footing slowly sliding towards him as he noticed her exhaling a deep breath. _'Similar right down to the breathing, which normally meant-'_

His thoughts were then cut off as she jumped towards him quicker than before, causing him to duck and shift under the blade as he watched it's arc again half expecting another stab, only to find the blade swinging towards him again and forcing him to shuffle back as Elia kicked herself towards him again for a upward strike, forcing him to bring both of his arms down and push them along the weapon, causing it to go to the side of him as they began a new dance in their sparring, Elia's blade swinging and stabbing towards Oliver while he shuffled and attempted counters, only to find her blocking them as both increased their tempo, oblivious to the guards as some stopped from their patrols and watched as the two were fighting.

_-ten years ago-_

a twenty-one year old Oliver stood within the confines of the arena as he meditated, his mind focusing on the darkness around him.  As he did, he felt the tug of the darkness around him, different shapes taking form within it as his eyes remained closed before he heard footsteps moving towards him, causing the shapes the shake and vanish "Oy, you're not sleeping over there, are you?" came a voice, making Oliver look up to find a middle aged man looking at him with a practice katana on his shoulder, a beard hiding his features as he chuckled.

"You may be older than me, but don't confuse it with rank, Derek." Oliver responded, soon hearing the same chuckle from the man as he held out his right hand, causing both of their shadows to rise and wrap into a ball before he closed his hand on it. The ball then stretched, changing into a black longsword that was completely dull as he pointed it at the man, who only took a ready stance with his own blade held forward. "Alright then, let's keep showing you that a single swordsman can't defeat me."

"And let's show you that you can't save yourself from everything with your abilities alone." Derek responded before he jumped forward, Oliver soon swinging up his own blade before the two collided and bounced off each other, Oliver's control over the darkness already moving in his body as he settled on three times it's strength, ducking under Derek's second swipe and swinging for his legs, causing the man to jump before slashing downward. Oliver only smirked as he lifted his blade up with his right hand and blocked the incoming katana, his body barely moving as he pushed Derek off, making him click his tongue in annoyance as Oliver kept his smirk. "I have to admit, that ability of yours seems rather unfair."

"I'm not the one who said they wanted to fight me at three times my base strength." Oliver responded as he pointed the blade at Derek, who only sighed as he took his ready stance again. Out of the abilities he obtained from Myrkr, one of them was an ability to enhance his own bodies prowess to an even greater form, be it through physical strength or agility, to even reflexes and thinking. At most, Oliver could only do ten times its form, whereas Myrkr had said that it was possible to go beyond a thousand times that strength. "So then, are you actually going to try, or am I going to have to fall asleep while standing?"

"Don't get your hopes up." Derek spoke as he changed his stance to a more fluid motion, exhaling a deep breath as Oliver soon gripped his blade with both hands. The man then ran to the left at a blinding speed, arcing back towards Oliver before slashing upward at a quick pace, making Oliver's smirk turn into a smile as he blocked the blade and was pushed back a few feet from its force alone. Derek only sighed as he took his blade's attack stance as Oliver's longsword changed into gauntlets. "You won't use your dual weapons here?"

"You know full well why I refuse to, Derek." Oliver spoke as his eyes glowed orange, his abilities keeping a steady fuel as his shadow rose around his legs and formed shin guards. Derek only nodded as the two started to slowly circle each other, both unaware of a pair of red eyes looking at them from the shadows in the corner of the room.

"You keep resenting the actions that led to that event, and it will just haunt you for the rest of your life." Derek spoke as he jumped foward, slashing downward as Oliver lifted both his arms to block the blade. However, Derek let go of it just as soon as it made contact with Oliver's gauntlets and crouched down into a side kick, hurling Oliver back a few feet as he felt his body stiffen where the hit made contact. Derek then sighed as he picked up his katana, Oliver just laying back as he looked up at the ceiling of his "I was also there two years ago, Oliver, I also saw what they did. I saw the atrocities committed by their troops, you had every right to feel angered by their actions."

"Regardless, it was my orders and idiocy of listening to their lies that led to their actions and my own anger to go out of control." Oliver interrupted as he stood up, the glow in his eyes turn darker as he looked at Derek as if the hit didn't even phase him. He then sighed before his guards released, soon holding out his right hand to the side as Derek changed into a defensive stance as he saw a dark aura coming from Oliver. "And now that you reopened that wound of mine from trying to mend it, why don't I return the favor by letting loose like you asked? Reginhard, send in Erebus!"

_-present time-_

Oliver jumped back as the two broke contact for the third time, both panting as he noticed the crowd had grown from only a few guards to around twenty to thirty. _'They're popping out of this place like daisies, the lot.'_ Oliver thought as he kept his gaze on Elia, who was leaning on her blade as they both struggled to catch their breath. They had been at it for quite some time, how long it was being unknown to either, but somewhere along the line they both got away with a few hits but were otherwise unable to touch one another without being blocked or dodged. _'However, her style is far too similar to Derek's to ignore...'_

"...Your stances are a bit stiff." Elia spoke finally as she picked her blade back up and took an attack stance. Oliver only smirked at the comment and took a stance of his own as the two locked eyes again. They both had gotten a feel of the other's fighting style in this fight, but neither had found the proper opening to hit the other at.

"So I've been outside of actual combat for a while, sue me." Oliver replied as the two began circling each other, the guards watching both as the two kept their eyes locked. Throughout this entire fight the two had been only trading blows, and with everything Elia had been saying during it, offering gifts for Serphia if he won or a place of power for him, he kept declining it. In fact, it seemed she was enjoying hearing him refusing her offers, and kept reminding him more and more of Derek and his own talks with him during their fights. He had even started to enjoy it like he had back then, reminding him how long back it was supposed to be despite him feeling like it was only a year or two ago. _'Hell, with how the realms vary with timelines, I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually a century or two later in my own world.'_ Oliver thought as the two finally caught their breath, now ready to fight again.

"How about we make a bet." Elia spoke, her weapon raised as a smile played on her lips, causing Oliver to look at her confused. "You win in the next move, you can request one thing from the crown without charge. If I win, however, you end up as a training partner for me from here on out. If you refuse the bet, however..." She pointed her blade at Oliver as he felt his gut turning from what might come next. "I'll remove Serphia from the army, and she won't be able to join any form of armed soldiers from here on out."

As she finished the last words, Oliver's expression changed from it's calculating form into a cold glare as he looked at her, his mind comprehending what he had just heard while speaking his thoughts. "...You dare to use my student to enforce a bet, and expect me to simply accept it with a smile?" Oliver responded as his voice changed to a darker and angered tone, a dark red glow momentarily coming from his eyes as he felt his control over the darkness return, soon vanishing before anyone could notice it as he kept his gaze on Elia. As he spoke, his breathing also changed it's pacing to a calmer one, along with the pressure of his presence seeming to emanate through the entire field, shaking everyone watching him as Elia only smirked at his sudden change in voice and look, his own form seeming as if he stood above all others despite him being shorter than some of the men around them. "Joking or not, I'll accept your wager, but don't complain when you've lost your weapon and are flung back. You brought it on yourself the moment my wrath was invoked."

To that Elia smiled before she switched to the blade in her left hand before her stance was made, the guards watching in anticipation as Oliver looked to the sky to see the sun having shifted from it's original place high above them and being closer to the edge of the castle, making him smirk as he looked back at Elia. _'So it's already that late, huh...'_ Oliver thought as he stood up straight, holding his right arm out in a single open block as his feet parted to shoulder width, making Elia just look at him confused as his gaze focused on her. Her stance then changed as he felt memories of his fights come back, practically seeing the style in her stance as she held her practice blade to the left her head, both hands gripping the longsword as the tip pointed towards him as she began to pace her breathing. _'It is similar to Derek's style, all right, but it has far more openings than his did. More than likely due to her own strength and speed being far above an average soldiers, she doesn't have to worry too much with her defense, but it's still nothing if she faces anyone of the same speed and strength. If I hadn't faced with Myrkr during mock battles, I probably wouldn't have the experience to deal with her as quick as I'm planning.'_

The silence between the two was stale, both seeming to give off a presence that sent shivers down the spines of the soldiers watching the fight. Elia also noticed Oliver's gaze at her, the strength behind his gaze seeming to emanate a presence that made hers look like child's play. _'This pressure... it's just like fathers when he's serious about an event.'_ Elia thought as she looked to the man, her gaze stern as some of the leaves from the trees around the castle blew in between the two, both looking to find some weakness in their opponent's stance. _'his footing is short but effective in holding him down if need be, but he can't hope to block my strike with one arm.'_

As the final leaves blew past, Elia jumped forward with her blade moving forward in a stab as the wind seemingly followed her trail. She planned to use all her strength in the thrust, then release the weapon if he managed to grab it and continue it's push. What happened, however, did not go as she expected as Oliver kept in his spot, the soldiers watching the pace of the strike as Elia's gaze kept on her target, the man's chest. Oliver only watched as she sped towards him, his arm moving to the left as the blade passed the outside of his arm and straight towards his chest. Immediately, however, he pushed the weapon out as his arm rolled slightly along the blade towards her arms, his body soon spinning alongside it as his right hand grabbed her sword hand and pulled her closer, increasing her momentum abruptly. At the same instance, before she could try anything, he drew back his free hand and slammed it into her stomach in a palm strike, knocking the wind out of the princess as she was flung back by the force of the attack. Elia just looked at him in a dazed shock as she lost grip of her weapon, flying back a few yards as Oliver took the practice weapon and stabbed it into the ground in front of him, the weapon easily going down into the dirt with his strength.

"So then, are you satisfied with these results?" Oliver spoke as he watched her get up wheezing, looking to him in shock as he rested his hands on the practice sword's hilt, holding himself up as he forced himself to pace his breathing. That last hit he gave used up the remainder of his resolve to fight, but he still had a good deal of anger from the conditions of either accepting or denying the wager. "I don't care about wagers for the sake of fun, in fact I probably would've gone with it regardless, but to use my own student as leverage is too far for me to have fun with a fight."

Elia just remained silent as she looked away, now noticing the crowd the had pulled before she gave them a glare, Oliver practically feeling the presence she was giving as the guards scrambled to do their duties. "...Good." Elia finally spoke when the last of the soldiers had left, leaving her and Oliver in the training area as the man looked to her confused. "I was confused as to how someone who held a last name would be a simple hunter with no status, along with how you could have even fabricated the name. However, that stance you took in response practically emanates a form of nobility above others."

Oliver just looked at her as he processed what she said. "Nobility?" Oliver asked before he realized what she meant, smacking his head as he fell into a sitting position, Elia walking forward as she looked over to him. "Of course you were wanting me to show the strength of my will and the presence I show to my enemies, why else would you have chosen something so blatant to aggravate me..."

"More or less, though it was also to see if you were willing to fight in order to let others grow in ranks." Elia spoke as she sat down on the opposite side of the sword, both looking at each other as she noticed his own face more serious than it had been. "You were quick in taking out my weapon."

"You may bear strength that can smash your enemies rather well, but it's nothing if you don't know how to face someone of a similar strength and speed." Oliver spoke as he looked to her, noticing her paying full attention to him as he spoke. "Plus the style was greatly similar to a warrior I fought alongside a few years back, so I noticed openings in the strike fairly easily."

"You knew another person with my fighting style? My instructor said it was one of a kind in the far eastern lands." Elia spoke, looking to the sword as Oliver kept his gaze on her, analyzing her movements as he laid back.

 _'Despite being tired from the fight she's managed to pace her breathing fairly well, especially after that hit I gave her, showing that whoever taught her has done some good work.'_ Oliver thought as he noticed her breathing calming down in it's own form. _'So they focused on her strength and speed before teaching her major moves like I am with Serphia... It would be interesting to see her instructor at some later date.'_

"Regardless, you still accepted the wager and won." Elia spoke as she stood up, Oliver falling back as he looked into the sky to watch the clouds as she looked down on him. "What is it that you want?"

"Honestly, I have no idea." Oliver sighed as he kept his gaze on the clouds, now circling around them as he followed the trails and tracings of each one, causing Elia to look at him confused as he kept a faint grin on his face. "How much _did_ Serphia tell you of my stories?"

"Only that every time she complained about your training being a living hell, you gave stories of how you had a hell much worse due to circumstances that were believed to be threatening your life." Elia replied, making Oliver's grin grow as he looked over to her. She just sat down as she looked over to the barracks as soldiers were coming out for the evening shift change, some looking over to the two as she analyzed each of their footing. "What I'm wondering is why someone with your ability and aura of nobility is hiding it and living in a forest."

"Following some of the actions of a great man that helped me decide on what I wanted to become." Oliver replied as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, looking over to one of the statues that stood in between the castle and one of the larger parts of the wall. "Though if I really wanted to follow his actions, then I'd have to be a guard captain first... But that's a point of history that most people would end up falling asleep over." Oliver then rolled backwards, soon planting himself up on his feet as he looked over to Elia, who just pulled herself up normally. "I'm wondering, would you mind if I had a view of the area around the castle while I think of an idea?"

Elia just looked at him confused as Oliver grinned before sighing. "Fine, but you'll need to have determined what you want at the end of it." Elia replied as she looked back at him before signalling for him to follow again. "That was a risky move you did at the end, regardless of the openings you saw."

"Maybe, but with how my mind was more or less woken up from your terms, I decided on a strategy that was normally a do or die move." Oliver responded as he followed behind her, Elia setting the weapon to one of the training racks before they continued to walk around the castle. "If you really wanted to spar with me when you felt like it, then you could've just asked me instead of betting on a wager."

"True, but if I didn't do that wager and attempt to aggravate you, then I wouldn't have seen if that strength you showed in the fight was your limit." Elia responded as they walked past the statue, Oliver looking up at it as Elia kept her gaze straight. The statue bore the picture of a man with a open masked helmet, a large hammer resting on his shoulder and a grin on the mans face, his own features showing that of a man in his prime that seemed to also give a presence grander than most men Oliver had met. Elia soon turned before noticing his gaze on the statue, only smiling as she turned back to the trail. "The statue is that of the founding king of this country four centuries ago, in fact we have incredibly good relations with the Northern and Southern kingdoms of the Central Plains because of him and the recent actions of my father."

"I see, but that sounds like you don't have as good of connections with those to your east and western borders." Oliver responded as he looked forward towards Elia, noticing her hair seeming to sway with her movements as she kept her gaze forward, the two soon soon taking a turn towards the sun. Elia only sighed as she raised her hand to cover her eyes from the light, Oliver just keeping his hands to his sides as he followed closely.

"Originally we had alliances with them and many of the smaller kingdoms around us, but lately the kings have either retired or died, some even usurped by more sinister leaders." Elia responded as her voice turned more somber and serious as Oliver gazed at the walls, his mind roaming through the little knowledge he did know of this world. "Our father has tried to keep negotiations with them, and Arlus has as well despite his idea that negotiations are pointless. Personally, I think that Arlus is correct on his assumptions from my recent fights against them, but as a general and as my father's daughter, it's my duty to do what the king wishes."

"Unwavering loyalty, despite believing in another possibility." Oliver sighed, a smile playing on his face as Elia turned to him confused. He then smirked he noticed her look, soon locking his fingers together behind him and stretching his arms back. "You reminded me of a friend of mine who had that kind of mindset, yet yours isn't as one tracked as theirs was."

"I see..." Elia spoke before turning and continuing her walk, Oliver following behind as they started to walk past a garden.

 _'Incredible how this castle is so different from the Imperial City I had read on, could mean that the city itself will forge it's own hold.'_ Oliver thought as he followed Elia, soon thinking through what could be possible rewards. _'Honestly, anything physical is meaningless to me since I'll be regaining my own equipment in a year or two, but a map of the land could be nice. However, that would be meaningless if I never moved around the place, especially if the city were to be attacked by any armies... Maybe requesting them to hear any options I can provide will work... No that'd be too blatant.'_

The rest of their walk was partially silent as the two began to slowly walk side by side, some of the guards on the walls staring down at the two as Oliver looked at the garden they were walking through, Elia pointing out some of the flowers and their properties. "Is that over there Nightshade?" Oliver asked as he noticed a light purple flower similar the poisonous flower, making Elia giggle as she looked at him.

"No, that's Orius' promise, it's the flower my ancestor discovered in this place that is known for changing colors as the day passes." Elia spoke as Oliver noticed some of the same flowers beside it were slowly changing to a slightly darker purple. "They change from a dark red in the morning to a crystal blue at noon, and finally to a dark purple in the evening. They only grow in this city and were a reason why my ancestor chose this place for the capital."

"Interesting." Oliver responded as he kept beside her. This world still amazed him, despite anything he knew of it. In one area he saw something similar to what he did from the manga of it, while in other areas he saw things that had a mysterious wonder to them. Before the two knew it, however, they had made it back to the entrance of the castle walls.

"So then, have you made up your mind?" Elia spoke as she turned to him, her gaze curious as Oliver looked back at her.

 _'She's far more than just a student learning swordplay, so I don't even have to worry for the actual state of her troops.'_ Oliver thought as he closed his left hand, hearing some resounding cracks from his knuckles as he made up his mind. "I'll just ask one thing, that you listen to any options I can give during a period of crisis." Oliver spoke, making Elia look at him confused as he smiled. "I don't expect you to do what they are, but I want you to see how it could look in a different way and ponder multiple ideas from different viewpoints instead of from only one viewpoint."

"...Well, I did say I'd allow your request, but you don't want anything physical?" Elia asked, making Oliver chuckle as she looked at him confused.

"I live outside of the city, in a forest all but isolated from humanity, and you think I want something physical?" Oliver asked as he looked to her with a smile, making her just look at him confused. "I may be a warrior that might have retired far too early, but I still like the way I'm living now. Besides, I'd rather work my mind on problems then just sit around marvelling at how fancy something in particular is."

To that Elia snickered, making Oliver smile before he reached out his hand. "Fine, I'll allow your request." Elia responded as she took Oliver's hand, her own smile genuine as they looked to each other.

"Feel free to call me over to spar with you again, or come over to my own place to spar if you want." Oliver spoke as he walked to the entrance, the gate slowly opening as Elia watched him leave. "Despite how the round ended up emotionally, it was still fun facing you."

With that Oliver walked off, his own gaze on the city as he was pondering where to go next. _'Knowing those two, Serphia's probably over with Sylphy at the tavern due to her return.'_ Oliver thought as he smiled from his own memories. _'Those two are near inseparable, after all...'_

_-Seven months ago-_

Oliver sighed as he walked out of his house, smoke following him out from above, the results of a failed meal he cooked for too long. Fortunately, he had more than enough meat to use for food, but the problem was the fact that he still had some trouble cooking it. As he started walking down to get some of the spare meat by the house, he heard what sounded like a pile of rocks rolling before he turned to his left to find Serphia crouched down panting as two buckets were beside her with one tipped over, revealing it to be full of hand sized rocks. "Better hurry and put it back together, otherwise you won't be able to do as required." Oliver spoke as he walked to the hanging rack, where a small avian danger beast hung as Serphia shot daggers at him

"How long... do I have to keep doing this?" Serphia panted as she slowly started to pick the rocks up and back into the bucket. His task for her was to do her daily exercise while holding the buckets up to her shoulder height, as instructed by Oliver, but it drained her immediately of her enthusiasm after only five minutes of it. Now here she was twenty minutes later, finally tired of holding them.

"If you want to properly use your body in hand to hand combat, you need to have a strong upper and lower body." Oliver spoke as he took the bird off of the rack, looking back at Serphia as he watched her pick up the rocks. "You're able to run a good distance, and you have some prowess with weapons, but your lower body is still stronger than your upper in terms of endurance. As such, you need to use something that puts more duress on your upper body while also training your lower body steadily, leading to this training."

"But still, Buckets full of rocks?" Serphia whined, making Oliver chuckle as he walked up to her.

"If you think this is tough, you should try falling off a cliff and finding a way back to a road with some broken bones, or facing an entity who makes your strength look like that of an ants." Oliver responded as he looked down at her, making her look up in shock before he heard a twig snap, making him turn his head to find a shadow over in the trees. "Don't try hiding, I can see you from here."

The figure just kept in place for a few seconds before stepping out, revealing a red headed girl with eyes like rubies, making Serphia get up. "Sylphy, what are you doing here?" Serphia asked, making the girl look at her confused. It was then that Oliver noticed an officer jacket in her right hand, making him smirk as the girl walked closer.

"You forgot your uniform's jacket for when you're done, Serphy." the girl responded before turning to Oliver. "I'm guessing you're the person she's training with."

"Aye, that's the case." Oliver responded as he held out his hand to her. "Oliver Wolcott, new-ish local hunter."

"Sylvia, Serphias best friend, but you can call me Sylphy." the redhead responded, taking his hand and shaking it before looking back at Serphia, who was just looking down. "So then, about your jacket-"

"I know, thanks." Serphia interrupted as she stood up and looked over to Sylphy, who just smiled warmly as she handed it over to her. Normally Oliver wouldn't think any more of it, but he also noticed Serphias face slowly getting redder as she reached out and took it, making him smirk as Sylphy nodded to her and soon walked back to the path leading to the road, Serphia only setting the jacket down while Oliver felt a form of light heartedness come over her.

"So that's why you wanted to get stronger." Oliver spoke finally, snapping Serphia out of it as she looked up at him confused before she noticed his smirk.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Serphia asked as she started to grow red faced again as he poked her forehead.

"Oy, it's not a weakness to train in order to protect someone or something." Oliver spoke as he turned and walked back to the house, hearing Serphia sigh before he turned and sat down on the steps, the dead danger beast right beside him as he noticed her looking back in the direction Sylphy was heading. "Especially if it's someone you love."

"Ye-wait, what?!" Serphia exclaimed, looking back at him as her face turned a dark scarlet, making him laugh.

"Hit the nail on the mark right there, did I?" Oliver asked, watching as the girl started to stutter as she looked to the area the girl had just left and back at him while trying to mouth some defense.

"I don't-I mean- I'm not- I..." Serphia spoke before Oliver leaned forward with his smirk seeming to glow off of him, causing her to sigh as she tilted her head down in defeat. She then looked at him with a different gaze that made him look at her confused; it was a look of someone who felt like they might have lost a chance. "So what do you think about it?"

"Eh, it's unexpected, that's for sure." Oliver spoke as he leaned back on the steps, his gaze on the outlook of the trees as he turned to where the trees parted and the flatlands around the city started. "But it's not my say in the matter. We choose who we love, be they good or evil, male or female, even if they've made nothing but bad mistakes."

Serphia's gaze then changed as she looked at him confused. "Wait, you don't scorn it?" Serphia asked, making Oliver look over and smile at her.

"I don't give a damn if you were in love with a dragon, what matters is the resolve you have to follow it." Oliver responded as he looked at her, making her sigh in relief from it. _'So she was worried I'd kick her from training if I knew about it...'_ Oliver thought as he looked at her. "Does _she_ know you like her?"

Serphia kept silent as she looked at him from his question before sighing, feeling as if a burden was lifted off of her. "...Yes, actually." Serphia finally spoke as she walked over, soon turning and sitting down by the steps as she pondered her own memories. "We actually learned that we liked each other more than just friends two years ago, but couldn't tell anyone about it because of how it's viewed here. Sure, Prince Arlus has allowed there to be protection for people that like others of the same sex, but there's still people who would harm us if they knew."

"I see, so there's even people like that here..." Oliver spoke as he looked over to her. Then, with a grunt, he pulled himself up before he looked down to her, who just looked up at him as he smiled. "Well, don't worry about anything happening here. In training, it doesn't matter who you are or what you love, it's like I said before; Only those who are close to or equal my own determination can withstand this training, it doesn't matter what that determination is for. Now that that part's out of the way, you should get back to training before I finish making lunch."

With that Serphia nodded before she got up and ran back to the buckets, soon picking them up with a new strength as Oliver smiled and picked up the bird, going back into his home to start his second attempt at cooking.

_-present day-_

Wind blew through the trees of the forest south of Emerial, the rustling of the leaves following as not even the smallest of animals were moving in the trees. The forest stood there in a near deafening silence, as if preparing for a storm that was to come. Soon, however, there was another sound besides the sound of the trees, the sound belonging to a beast that reached close to the height of the trees, it's own eyes bloodshot and red as a branded seal of a bear's head was noticeable on it's right arm. The creature itself was moving slowly through the forest as it sniffed through the air, one thought that ran through it's head as it moved through the forest: the scent of blood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I didn't really need to edit this one too much, but I still should've posted it some time ago. either way, here it is. If there's anything I may have botched with sentences or storywise, please toss a comment or message over.   
> Either way, Ron signing out~


	7. VII

"Oi, don't go sitting around with your thumb in your ass, get to work!" came a shout as Oliver entered the tavern, soon seeing Oric shouting to one of his waiters as they seemed to be dozing off, soon snapping the man out of it before he ran for a set of customers that had just sat down. Oric just sighed as he looked to the entrance, soon noticing Oliver's entry before he nodded over towards the corner of the bar, letting Oliver notice that Serphia and Sylphia at the far end of the bar conversing, making the man sigh as he sat down in front of the barkeep. "They've been talking the entire time they've been here, Serphia telling stories of the last few months in the army."

"Well, war stories are always a fun past time for soldiers and mercenaries to tell." Oliver responded as Oric placed a small glass in front of him, soon pulling out a few silver coins as Oric picked up a bottle of what Oliver normally ordered, a sweet mead that was made in the northern kingdom of Dargoth. "So then, any more reports of attacks throughout the day?"

"Fortunately, no. Travelers have been coming in with little trouble, and apparently the creatures around the forest have picked the bones of those creatures clean." Oric spoke as he soon filled the glass, Oliver only looking at him confused as he continued. "Along with that, some other hunters have come in with their own bounties recently, making the forest path mainly clear to move on without trouble."

"Well, that's always good, but it means I can't find any work for the next month or so." Oliver sighed, making Oric look at him as Oliver picked up the glass and downed the drink, soon looking back at the barkeep with a smile. "Those two did seem to cause quite some ruckus, though, so I'm sure to have dealt with the problems for now."

"Though I doubt killing those two beasts will cause any creatures to stay put for long." Oric spoke as the two looked over to where Serphia and Sylphia were, both laughing from something they had apparently missed. "Speaking of pairs of two, those two are having quite a ball after one being gone for so long."

"Aye, though it's far more subtle than what could've happened." Oliver responded before he remembered his fight with Elia and her words used to make him go all out, causing him to sigh as he leaned back in his chair, soon looking up to the ceiling. "That princess of yours is quite a piece of work. Did you know she talks while she's facing opponents?"

"Only the ones she wants to see the abilities of, from what I've heard from General Darius." Oric responded as he poured another glass of the mead and set it beside Oliver's first glass. Oliver's mind went back to the large man that had stopped his fight with the three warriors, remembering his own curiosity of him that had appeared while he was selling the beasts.

"So I could tell, but using someone's student as a threat to ensure a wager?" Oliver asked as he looked back over to the drink Oric had poured, not even feeling a buzz from the first drink for reasons he already knew and hated. That was his only problem with this country and it's culture, it was so close to how the middle ages were that they didn't have that well of drinking water, so the amount of alcohol that was used in drinks was only enough to clean the drinks of bacteria, far from enough to get drunk by. "That kind of stuff should be taboo in fights…"

"So you're telling me that you wouldn't have done the same in her boots, regardless of how little you knew of your opponent?" Oric asked, making Oliver look back at him as he picked up the drink, only taking a sip this time while thinking through his answer. From what he could see on Oric's face, it was as if he knew that Elia would ask him for a fight, but probably didn't even know how it could turn out.

"…You're right, I probably might have even pushed worse buttons." Oliver spoke as he set down his drink, keeping his gaze on the bar keep as he noticed a grin on their face. "You're always good at finding out stuff like that from people?"

"Only when they've been drinking at my tavern for over a year." Oric responded as he set the bottle down beside Oliver's glass. "But still, a person who's only been hunting danger beasts, capable of taking out three elite guards while also keeping their nose out of crowds and just roams through the city on days looking around? Most nobles would find it suspicious."

"Maybe, but it doesn't mean I have to like it." Oliver responded as he looked down at the contents of his drink, soon lifting it up again. "However, I still found our match interesting, and she seemed just as pleased with it. I even ended up saying to call me over if she wants another match."

"Hopefully not in a bed chamber." Oric responded as Oliver started to take a sip of his drink, soon spitting it out and coughing profusely as the man laughed.

*cough, cough*"You choose the moment I'm drinking to think up a joke?" Oliver asked as he rubbed his throat, looking at the old mans grin before he sighed. "So then, how bad is the rest of the paths around the city?"

"Right now there aren't that many creatures with bounties on them, and the rest are taken up by most of the hunters." Oric responded as Oliver downed the rest of his drink, soon tossing two gold coins on the bar as he grabbed the bottle and poured another drink. "I'm guessing you're wanting to grab one the moment it pops up?"

"Maybe, but not this week, I'm too sore from my match…" Oliver sighed as he leaned onto the bar, soon getting back up as he felt his arms start to hurt from pressure. "And I can't even rest on the bar without hitting places her blade almost made contact to."

"So you faced her without a weapon?" Oric asked as he looked at Oliver confused, the dark haired man only smirking as he pulled back his right sleeve to show bruises that could've ended up as cuts or fractures if he wasn't careful. Oric just looked at it in wonder as one of his waiters moved into the bar, now working on the drinks as to keep any customers from getting rowdy. "Just how strong is that martial art of yours?"

"As a friend of mine once said: _It depends on the mindset of the fighter rather than the fighting style they use._ " Oliver spoke as he picked his drink back up before draining it, soon setting it back down as he picked up the bottle again with his free hand. "My fighting style was among a few that were more recent than most in my previous land, an art called Tae Kwon Do, so it didn't have any long and grand history like learning from the movements of certain animals or anything. It has, however, altered over my time fighting other people, so I've become more fluent with it."

"So your ability of fighting is only good because you've gained more experience in using it in actual combat." Oric responded as he picked up one of the glasses the waiter had brought over, soon dipping it into a bucket of clear water that was beside him before he started to work on cleaning it, another bucket beside it holding a dark and murky water from being used recently. "I've heard from some of the guards that the same thing was said by the instructor of that girl while she was training with him."

"I wouldn't be surprised, he seems to have done a good job with her so far." Oliver spoke as he picked up the bottle and the cork that went into it, soon jamming it in as he saw that the two girls hadn't even noticed his arrival this entire time. "Well, seeing as how they look busy, I'll just ask you to tell Serphia to come early in the morning for training."

"You're not going to stick around for a bit longer?" Oric asked as Oliver got up, rolling his sleeve back over his arm as he shook his head. "More importantly, are you even going to be fit for training?"

"I'll be fine, I was called an excellent defender but a terrible attacker by my dad when it comes to my martial arts." Oliver replied as he stretched his arms out a bit, soon hearing some resounding pops as his body started to move. He then smirked as he turned to the door, his mind already going through their fight as he finally felt a buzz that numbed a bit of the pain he had. "Besides, I'm more worried on how sore that princess will be tomorrow morning, though that depends on if she's ever fought anyone else on her level of fighting for an excess period of time."

* * *

_-the next morning-_

Elia hissed as she got out the castle, her body unable to move without feeling sore as she walked along the edge of the wall towards the steps leading up, her own morning stretches only getting them down to half of what they were. _'He really did a number on me during the fight, though he's probably feeling just as sore.'_ Elia thought as she started to climb the steps, her gaze on the sky as she saw a red sun rising. As she gazed at it, she felt a small bit of worry as it rose above a few of the mountain peaks, clouds seeming to roll behind it.

"Ah, Elia, you're up early." came a surprised voice, making the princess turn to find Arlus walking up the steps with some papers in his hand, Elia only nodding as she turned back to the sun. "So how did your match with that hunter go?"

"He forced me to use my actual fighting style, and even then he defeated me at the end with one simple motion, as if he was only playing around up to the point I aggravated him." Elia spoke as she rolled her arm, feeling the muscles still sore as she looked at some of the clouds around the sun. Arlus just looked at her with curiosity as he heard the fact that the man defeated her, catching his own interest. "He's more impressive than I guessed, that's for certain. He even had a presence similar to fathers when he's either on the battlefield or passing judgement."

"I wouldn't be surprised, given what your instructor has said about him." Arlus spoke as he leaned over on the wall, his gaze overlooking the city itself as the sun's beams slowly began to wash over it. Elia just looked at him confused, making him smirk as he held up the papers. "According to him, he has the potential to not only lead armies, but destroy them on his own if he wanted to. Along with that, he's killed an alpha danger beast along with five of it's pack without having a scratch afterwards."

"He has that much potential? Yet keeps as a hunter?" Elia responded as she looked at him confused, soon grabbing the papers before she looked into them, Arlus only sighing as he turned his gaze up to the sun. Elia then looked at the paper intently as Arlus began to speak this time.

"As you know, he's a hunter because he decided on sending three kills in the form of tax payment each month." Arlus spoke as Elia's eyes grew slightly wider while looking at the paper. It was a report on each of the monsters killed by Oliver over the year he had been there, along with any extra's he brought in to sell. "However, he's focused mainly on danger beasts, and strong one's at that. It's actually peaked the interest of some of the guards thinking he could be an enemy spy in disguise."

"And what do you think on this?" Elia asked as she scanned through the paper a second time before handing it back to the prince, who only sighed as he took it as Elia looked on the second paper, showing reports of any activity around the city.

"Honestly, I can't decide since I haven't met him outside of the festival." Arlus responded as he turned to look at the castle, hearing guards start to march for their morning routine. "From what I've heard from my spies and from other sources, however, he keeps away from the large crowds for information and keeps himself mainly at his own home, keeping mainly to the tavern or helping out his student in her training."

"I've crossed swords with him, so I can vouch that he doesn't plan on causing any harm and actually wants to see to his student being treated fairly, like a father is to their child." Elia spoke as two guards marched up the steps, soon handing back the other paper to Arlus as she gazed back at the clouds, now bigger than they were last time. "Seems like it's going to be cloudy for today."

"Let's just hope that's all and nothing severe, otherwise we'll be working on repairing the city again." Arlus spoke as the guards marched past them to their posts. "The king is planning on throwing a party for your return tonight, depending on if the remaining nobles make it here by today. I'm guessing you'll want to find some place else to rest?"

"It would help." Elia sighed, turning back to the steps before walking for them, Arlus just sighing as he leaned back against the wall. "In the meantime, I think I'll go find out exactly where that hunter is."

_-Oliver-_

Oliver had fallen asleep early the night prior, and for that he woke up a few hours before the sun rose. So, given that it wasn't yet time for anyone to be open yet, nor for the animals or danger beasts to start moving frequently, he decided to change into the same clothes he had worn the first day he appeared in the world, and practice with a wooden makeshift longsword. As he was training, however, he still felt the bruises and duress from his spar with the princess, slowing his moves a bit as he swung the sword with his right hand, each slash an arc of it's own as he made a mock battle in his mind with warriors that would aim for his own weak points, deciding on the hardest abilities to defend from. _'Just once, I'd like a day after a fight that I'm not sore from, physically or emotionally...'_ Oliver thought as he let go of the blade and struck through one of his imaginary opponents with a knife strike, grabbing the blade upside down with his left hand before swinging it in a circular arc before he felt something in his pants right pocket. He then stopped his arc before he stood up, putting his free hand into it before feeling a familiar ring, one he remembered holding his family's seal that he had custom made years back. _'Nobility, huh...'_

Oliver sighed as he slipped the ring on in his pocket, a small smile forming on his face as he remembered the trouble he had gotten through getting it years back. It was actually a few days afterwards that he even figured out how his abilities had worked, and was even the same day that he met Derek, if he remembered correctly.

_'Well, if you ever decide to actually start with changing this country like you've claimed so much, be sure to call me up.'_ Oliver's mind remembered that offer from the man well, it even derived from how important he was.

"Derek and Lief, the blades of Myrkr..." Oliver muttered to himself as he pulled his hand out of his pocket, soon sitting down as he felt his own shoulders tense at his own recollection of them, and his own realization. "I guess it's just going to always feel this lonely without you two."

"Without which two?" came a voice close-by, startling Oliver as he spun around and took an attack stance, soon seeing Serphia and Sylphia jumping back from his sudden motion. "Woah there, we're not anything to hunt!"

"Right, right." Oliver muttered as he set his practice weapon down in front of him, his mind still feeling a bit of the sadness he held before he clapped his hands on his face twice to wake himself up. The next second he was looking at the girls smiling, Serphia looking a bit worried from the look he had prior. "Sorry, was thinking of some memories of the past. How's it been since you've been back?"

"It's been good, the guards have been giving drills to strengthen the patrol formations and power in any surprise attacks, and most of the soldiers are working together with them by adding a few of us in the formations." Serphia responded as Oliver walked past the two, both soon following as he went for his house. "I'm supposed to be going on a patrol at noon, so I decided to come over right now and try to wake you up."

"Gods, that's a bit selfish with waking up an instructor." Oliver spoke as he went up the steps, his door already open given it wouldn't really change the fact of the bugs flying around the place. The other two just walked in to see a large danger beast similar to a giant chicken on the table in the center of the house, already dead and cooked to where it could be edible, the mead bottle he had taken with him beside it and empty. Oliver had caught it some time before he had passed out, the creature attacking him on his way back home, and quickly killed it before taking it back home for dinner. It was too much to eat in one go, so he decided to leave it for when he ended up hungry. "You two up for something to eat before I start training Serphia?"

"Sure." Sylphia replied, Serphia only nodding before the two took seats closest to the door, Oliver walking around the table to the kitchen before finding three pairs of makeshift forks and knives. He then walked back before sliding two of the pairs to the two girls, both grabbing them before he walked over to the opposite side and sat down, his seat next to the fireplace as the other two took a few of the plates and set them in front of them. Oliver then smirked as he took his own plate from the pile before he closed his eyes and clasped his hands together.

" _Oloric Varshta._ " Oliver murmured, feeling the stress slightly relieve itself from his shoulders before he took one of the legs of the danger beast, the other two looking at him confused from the words.

"What was that language?" Serphia asked, making Oliver look over to her as he smiled.

"Something that my own master, Myrkr, said every now and then." Oliver spoke as he set the meat down in front of him, a smirk coming on his face as he saw her eyes widen. "It's an ancient language lost to all but those who learn in the art he taught me. The meaning of those words, though a bit rough, is 'In your memory'. It's used to give thanks to those who fell for their beliefs."

"Your master in the martial art you use?" Sylphia asked as she used the knife to cut off a bit of the cooked beast, Oliver soon shaking his head before he took a bite of the leg, the two looking at him interested in the language as he pondered on what to tell them.

"...Not exactly a master of combat, but he was someone who had trained me in battle and the workings of life." Oliver spoke, soon setting the meat down as he continued pondering on his thoughts. "Like you two may have guessed from my abilities and my training, I ended up as a soldier in an army before I ever came here, a strategist to be exact. Myrkr was the leader of that army, with me as one of his seven generals."

"You were a general?" Serphia asked, stunned at his revelation. Oliver could only guess why, given he never spoke of his past so openly, but something about that fight seemed to have brought back a piece of him. "It would explain why you could fight toe to toe with the princess."

"So you heard about that? Figures..." Oliver spoke as he leaned back, his gaze up at the ceiling now as he smirked. "I think I have to thank your princess, actually, she made me feel like I did before the war I fought in turned everything to shit..."

"Besides that, what rank were you in that army?" Serphia asked, Oliver looking over to her as he saw her interest in the new revelations sparking in her eyes. "And what's the war you're talking about?"

"My rank never exactly mattered, given I had as much power over the forces as Myrkr did, so you could say that I was a co leader." Oliver spoke as he leaned forward, readying for a tale. "The war, however, was a civil war of my country that split between those who were corrupt and those who were for the belief's of others such as Myrkr. This war was known as the War of Darkness, a form of play on words given Myrkr's abilities."

"Abilities? You mean he was a magic user?" Sylpia asked, her voice showing a genuine interest as she was cutting up her slice of the danger beast, making Oliver smirk as he thought through it.

"I suppose it could be alike to magic, but it's not the same." Oliver spoke as he sat down, pulling his dagger off from his belt before setting it down in front of him, pointing to a small part of the hilt that was shaded, making them look at it in wonder as they noticed the hilt's texture seeming to move on it's own in the shaded area, the rest looking completely different.

"I've never seen your dagger do that..." Serphia spoke as she looked down at it, Oliver only smirking as Sylphia just started eating while listening. "Did he make this?"

"He held an ability to control darkness in a form that could be considered magic, but it was far more powerful in that it could create anything from darkness, even create darkness itself where he wanted it. The ability is known to those who understand it as Darkness Embodiment." Oliver continued as he set the dagger back down, the two girls looking at the hilt as they listened. "Simply put, it's the ability to use the primal force of darkness in a limitless number of ways, from making a small pebble that's indestructible to a castle that stands above all others, with the possibilities only reaching as far as the user can imagine. He could even have weapons forged in these kinds of flames that were beyond that of mortal weapons, and normally fought alone given his powers were better used in combat of one against many, able to destroy even the largest armies."

"I've never heard of this ability..." Serphia spoke as she looked at the dagger in wonder, looking at how the shaded area practically danced. "You'd think something like that would be known worldwide."

"The country the civil war took place in is far out at sea, unreachable without a guide. The same could be said about making it here." Oliver lied, though it was more of a half lie given the vast darkness could've been considered a sea. "I made it here through sheer luck and managed my way to this city after the war, and Myrkr decided that the best way for it to end was to direct the power to a man he trusted to do the right thing, and to die at their hands."

"So someone that strong died?" Sylphia finally spoke up, making Oliver look to her plate to see a far smaller portion than what she had taken.

"Though it was believed he died, he more than likely faked it since he hadn't lived that much of a life." Oliver responded, picking the dagger up and looking to it. "In fact this was the last item he forged with darkness for me, ensuring it could only be used when I absolutely require it..."

"But enough about the past, we should eat before starting your training." Oliver spoke, snapping their attention from the story as he started eating the leg he had grabbed prior, taking a quick bite before they could whine at him to continue talking about that subject. _'Best to leave it at that for now, no telling what could happen if I reveal too much.'_ Oliver thought as he chewed the food, soon turning his head to the window facing east, the sun's rays shining through it as he noticed the red glow of the floating orb. _'Red sun at morning, sailors take warning... storm's coming.'_


	8. VIII

"Alright, today we'll be focusing on weapons training this time." Oliver spoke as he took his wooden long sword from the ground, Serphia grabbing a wooden short sword and a makeshift shield from a pile beside the house as Sylphia left to take the trail back to the city. She then walked over to him as he held his weapon up with his right hand, his gaze determined and concentrated as Serphia took the same defensive stance Oliver had used with the danger beast, her shield raised to her chest with her blade behind it, leveled to where it could go over or under the shield. "Now then, I want you to try and hit me with your attacks. Don't hold back."

"Sir!" Serphia shouted before she moved forward for a thrust, Oliver's blade soon moving up and hitting it out of place before he twisted the blade and went for an upward arc, reaching right at her armpit and stopping as Serphia tried to back up.

"Your stance is good, but you move your limbs too much while you're striking and give a lot of openings." Oliver spoke as he spun the blade out of the opening before tapping Serphia on the head, making her back up with her shield arm reaching up for the spot he hit. "Keep your shield close and don't over-exaggerate your moves in a fight, otherwise you're asking for someone to take you out."

"Yes sir…" Serphia responded, rubbing her head a bit before she took her stance again. "So how did you fight the princess?"

"I faced her without a weapon, seeing that I would've ended up in a disadvantage if I used one." Oliver spoke as he side stepped from a thrust and went for a normal speed slash, Serphia lifting her shield this time to block it before he tapped the shield and redirected the wooden weapon to the side, tapping her thigh as she gritted her teeth from the hit before he slid back a yard, giving her time to set up her stance again as he moved his left hand up and laid it on the flat of his weapon. "Her style was strikingly similar to a warrior I fought beside, right down to the final strike she attempted to pull. However, if I went toe to toe with it as I am now with this weapon, I would've ended up with a broken blade and arm from trying to block it."

"So she's strong enough to make you have to be serious?" Serphia asked as she went for a slash, continuing it's arc as Oliver backed up before ducking under the edge of her shield, the lining arcing above him in a form of attack as he rolled back and stood back up, taking his blade into a defensive stance. "I can see why; she's able to take on twenty men in her army for practice, ending up taking them all out with only a little duress from it afterwards."

"So I could tell, given the power and strength behind her swings." Oliver spoke as he went forward for a thrust, Serphia lifting her shield in response before the blade hit it dead center, pushing her back. "Angle the shield to either side so you can control the direction of the blow, don't hold it flat to an enemy attack. I've already told you this every time we train."

"Your attacks are far different from the battles I've been in, the men we fought were slower." Serphia responded as she shook her arm, feeling the pressure in his attack as he took another attack stance.

"If I don't deal this much power against you, you can't train to surpass it." Oliver responded as he moved for a side slash, this time Serphia ducking and aiming for a sweep at his legs. However, she ended up being stopped as he slid his back foot around and locked her leg in place with his new stance, his hands switching the blade before it was at the tip of her throat. "From what I heard with how you talk about her, you seem to want to reach her level."

"Of course I do, she's basically what I want to become. Her way of showing justice to her people while dealing punishment to those who would harm them, who couldn't idolize her?" Serphia responded as Oliver walked away from her a bit, soon sitting down as she got up. She then looked at him as he laid his weapon down, her eyes trying to spot any openings he could have at the moment. "Did you idolize anyone?"

"A man named Cao Cao, who many believed was the greatest general of his time, was a person I idolized along with a good many others. I made my decisions in the war I fought by comparing them with his mistakes and achievements that were similar." Oliver spoke as he looked over to her, smirking as she took her stance. "It's obvious that you're more into conversing than training at the moment, so you can practice your strikes while we talk."

"Thank you sir." Serphia responded as she moved towards one of the nearby trees, it's bark chipped away from the practice done on it. It was the same tree that Oliver has slammed the axe into, the blade of it still stuck there. "So who was Cao Cao?"

"A man considered a tyrant at the end of it all, but whose path is viewed by so many sides that there isn't a proper way to define the man." Oliver responded as Serphia started to swing her weapon far faster than she had before. _'Still holding back despite me telling her otherwise…'_ Oliver thought as he watched the arcs of her slashes, seeing far more accuracy than she had used in the fight before he continued. "He started off as a man that did his duties while also taking the law into his own hands at times, never wanting to make himself higher than the emperor he served. By the end of his life, however, he had made the foundation for the largest and most stable of three kingdoms that were made from that empire, serving as a vassal to the emperor of the land up to his death. In the end, however, the foundation he laid was brought down by the corruption he fought against."

"So you fought to make sure the people at the top would have a stable government?" Serphia asked as she swung her weapon, making Oliver chuckle as he watched her swings hit the tree.

"Not exactly, more like I worked with Myrkr to reform it during the war, changing areas we took control of in ways that were similar to Cao Cao's." Oliver spoke as he looked down to his ring, his family seal reflecting in the morning sun. "During this time, we had made too many enemies to where if we led after the whole event, they would try forming a rebellion. So in order to make sure the land would be okay, we left it to a man who had fought against us during the entire civil war, one that we knew would choose the right path and was loved by the people."

"Why did you end up allying with Myrkr if you both ended up at such a position to leave your country?" Serphia asked, making Oliver's smile fade a bit to a more neutral expression, his mind processing the best way to respond.

"...In the beginning, it was only a back up plan for in case things took a grave turn, in this case our two best warriors lost their lives." Oliver spoke as he leaned forward, crossing his legs together as his mind went through his memories. As he began to speak again, he started to feel the pain of losing them both slowly returning. "Derek, who held a similar fighting style as your princess does, was among the group we made at the beginning, and was still among our best warriors despite his age being around his mid forties. The other one was Leif, who was by far the greatest definition of a loyal servant. Both of them were warriors unequalled in their art, Derek leading in following orders for strategies and adding his own mix to them, and Leif in stealth and ambush battles, along with assassinations. When those two fell, we had no choice but to resort to it."

Serphia now slowed down her own slashes, listening to the way Oliver spoke of them. It sounded like he was holding something back about them, but still holding them in high regard. "How did they both fall?" Serphia asked as she stopped her swings completely, turning to find Oliver's gaze solemn, staring at his ring as he was twisting it on his finger.

"Derek died, or was believed to have died, just before the final battle, him and his men were hit by an attack no one expected." Oliver spoke as he looked down at his ring, his mind remembering what occurred. It was supposed to be a defense operation for the city of Richmond, ensuring that the army wouldn't bombard it for sending their forces supplies, though they all expected they wouldn't do anything drastic while so close to DC. He could still see that missile that no one knew of, it's explosion seeming to hang right over the city, slowly lowering onto it as they tried to get the civilians out until… Oliver shook his head as he returned to the real world, seeing Serphia looking at him confused. "...Lief, on the other hand, lived taking orders all his life, and the moment he refused a final order was the moment of his death."

"What was the order?" Serphia asked as she leaned on her weapon, looking at Oliver as his gaze rested on his practice sword.

"To take my men to safety and to leave me to hold back the enemy, something he absolutely refused to allow since I was sure to die." Oliver spoke, his voice far more hoarse as Serphia's eyes slowly widened to the last part. He then sighed as he stood up, lifting his weapon onto his shoulder as he looked over to her. "…That's about as much as I'll say about that, and I really don't want you to dig any further at the moment. Go to your training stances after your swings then get back to your house for some rest before your patrol, I need some time alone."

"Yes sir." Serphia replied, seeing Oliver's own gaze seeming to glaze over as he fell into his thoughts. He only sighed as he turned and walked back to his house. He understood that there was nothing that could've been done at the time to stop it, it was far too late when the missile hit. The same could be said for Lief, who died doing the one thing he understood, but that didn't mean he had to like and accept either of them. _'Death follows those who are to be one of fifteen, no matter what life they choose to live...'_ Oliver remembered as he went through the memories of his training with Myrkr. _'Back then I accepted it since I only had a few friends and family that I didn't even see anymore, but now I'm more appalled from it. I wonder if Alegar held this same torment...'_

**' _Well then, you seem to be going through some mental trauma. Didn't we all tell you that blaming yourself would cause you to lose years of your life?'_** came a deep voice as Oliver had reached his door, making his eyes widen as he heard the familiar tune of the voice in his head. **_'It's good to see you're still showing emotions instead of hiding them, master.'_**

"Ksalso, you're the first thing these last two days that's made me not have bad memories." Oliver spoke as he walked into his house, soon making sure that Serphia was far enough away to not hear him before he shut the door, feeling a good deal of the pain he was feeling lift from hearing the being. "You've been silent for some time."

**' _Unlike Reginhard, I can't make a form for myself to appear in, plus my ability to speak to you can only go so far.'_** Ksalso replied in Oliver's head, the man soon feeling the two ruby eyes the being bore seeming to eye the room through his own eyes. **_'I was told by Reginhard to tell you when I've got seven hours left to reach you, given I decided to move on ahead of everyone and follow your trail before Wayland could move any of his equipment.'_**

"Even better news." Oliver replied as he walked over to the northeast side of the house, holding an open door to his own bedroom that was separate from the rest. As soon as he went in he shut his door, soon falling back onto the bed as he focused on the conversation. "I'm guessing the axes are still with you?"

**' _L_ _ocked away in the usual spot and hidden to all except those who know of their existence, as always.'_** Ksalso responded as Oliver sighed, not really expecting anything less. **_'Reginhard wanted them moved to the castle, but I was against it since it would've given the axes more freedom to fuel in the darkness around them, along with trying to sway anyone in there to use them.'_**

"Understandable and sound judgement, though I really wish I didn't have to see them when I see you." Oliver sighed as he closed his eyes, his memories returning to his training in the abilities. "But they'll always be there to remind me to accept my mistakes… So you'll be here in seven hours?"

' _Yes, though I'll still need you to use your calling card for me to enter.'_ Ksalso replied as Oliver looked at his hand, his mind concentrating as the shadows in his shirt rolled up from under his sleeve, soon wrapping around his hand and starting to hum.

"I can still use it easily enough, though it will take a few seconds longer to prepare a large scale version." Oliver spoke as he placed his hand back to the side, hearing the thuds of Serphia's training resounding straight through the wall. "However, I'll need to find a place that you can enter easily at."

**' _Why not in the open area I sense north of you?'_** Ksalso asked, reminding Oliver of the open field that Emerial rested on. During the time Oliver had lived there, he found that the city rested a good width of ten miles at a walk from the south side of the city to the top, which was all in all a good size for a trading capital since it gave more space to merchants to have tents or wares prepped in the market district, which was two miles east of the plaza he had seen the festival at. However, it was the fact of the city being a capital that it would be a terrible idea.

"That's an area that is the capital of this country, and the last thing I need is my instrument of warfare causing an uproar to the populace, or did you forget what happened at Colorado?" Oliver responded, his own memory of the people gaping at the sky in shock still fresh in his head. There were even a few people who were wondering if they had smoked anything that day, if he recalled, making it one of the funnier moments of the war. "I know of an area far enough away that they won't manage to see your arrival, so just sit tight and rest when you arrive."

**' _Of course, Oliver.'_** Ksalso responded as Oliver kept his gaze on his hand, making him smile as he looked up at his ceiling, hearing Serphia still swinging her weapon into the tree.

' _Reginhard did say that he'd be here in a year…'_ Oliver thought to himself as he raised his left hand up, the morning light hitting it as he stared at the outlined rays it made through the spaces between each finger. He then thought through his own inventory before sitting back up, his mind now set on the current objective as he started to trail back to the first time he unlocked his abilities. "Is Wayland still living there with you? I'd like to ask him to ready a few items."

_-twelve years ago, Oliver-_

Oliver yawned as he finished reading 'Imperial Warlord', making it the fifteenth time he had read through the book to try and ponder it. _'So then, today is the day the agreement will be done...'_ Oliver thought as he closed the book, looking around his room as he scanned it's belongings. A few game consoles directly beside a small tv he got with money he saved, along with a few rows of books on various forms of warfare and history in a book case beside it. At the bottom shelf, however, were various game cases, all of which were mainly story or strategy based. _'I wonder if any of the conquerors of history might have been able to complete their ambitions if they were offered the same choice...'_

The rest of the room, itself, was cleaner than it normally was, though that was more thanks to the ability he had now. Oliver then smirked as he raised his hand, the darkness dancing around his fingertips and stretching around it, shaping itself into a form of armor. **"Two years has granted you quite a bit of control since you tapped into them, hasn't it?"** came a voice as the room seemed to darken, a pair of red eyes soon shining from Oliver's shadow as he looked down, feeling the shifting of the darkness within it as the raven rose from the location. **"But the question is if you've unlocked the small amount I gave you."**

"Right down to business, like you did when I first used them." Oliver sighed as the armor vanished from his hand, soon setting his book down as he leaned back in his chair. His own eyes held a deeper wear than most kids his own age, and the raven noticed this as Oliver lifted his hand, a black sphere forming into it. "I've worked through all the kinds of possibilities that could be possible, even going so far as trials to see if I could go further, so I already know that what you gave me was an impossible task."

**"And how do you believe that it is impossible to unlock them in such a short amount of time?"** The being spoke, making Oliver's gaze look down at him in a deeper severity. **"What more do you know that you didn't beforehand?"**

"For one thing, I know that I can do whatever I want with it, shape it into any form I wish." Oliver responded as the orb changed into a small ring, then changing into a shield as he spoke. Finally, it changed into a small dragon that moved and coiled around his arm, the bird staring at it as Oliver kept his gaze on them. "However, it's abilities aren't of a simple manipulation of shadows from what you had done all those years ago, but closer to the lines of an embodiment of the very darkness itself, even using the black forms from night. However, it requires the strength of the user in order to use, dealing with endurance and strength of the person using it. As such, it's impossible to use without shaping the darkness within you to aid in strengthening your own body, which I don't even have enough to do so."

**"An interesting concept you have of it."** the raven spoke as it's shape changed, soon turning into a black fog that towered over Oliver. **"Yet it is correct regardless. So why do you sound so bitter over it?"**

"Why?" Oliver responded, the dragon soon melding into his arm as it changed into a gauntlet. He then pointed it at the fog, practically seething with anger as his eyes flashed their own form of red. "Because by all accounts, you cheated by using the ignorance of a child in order to see how far they would go for their dream, and gave them an amount that was too small to accomplish the deal. Your so called 'bet' was rigged from the start, with every part of it there for you to play the hand of: _I_ never had a fucking chance!"

**"Then why did you not try to find a way to run from me in order to keep out of a rigged bargain?"** the figure responded, soon changing into a cloaked figure that held the same blood red glow in their eyes, their own face concealed by darkness itself. Oliver only sighed as he leaned back, the armor fading away as he rested his head on his free hand.

"Because though I was a kid that decided to accept a deal with what people would think of as the devil, I've grown into someone who knows that running from something that can control my own shadow is pointless." Oliver responded, looking to the figure as they watched and listened to his response. At the next moment, however, his own shadow rose and formed it's own spikes, all pointed directly at the figure as his eyes glowed orange. "So I came up with an alternative option, since I have no plan on forsaking that very ambition I gambled on: If the terms allow me to continue it, then I will accept it, but if they force me into a state to where I can't ever achieve it-"

**"You'll fight me with tooth and nail, despite how pointless it may be with this power of yours."** the being concluded, making Oliver close his mouth and nod as the figure looked around the spikes. The being then laughed as Oliver heard the door shake, the spikes falling apart as Oliver's gaze changed into one of shock, watching as the figure stepped to him. **"The first person who I made this deal with that had said the very same thing countless millennia ago when I gave him the same amount to use it, and out of all those years you are the only person whose response held the same resolve as his did, and the same determination that held a denial of whatever fate would take away your ambition."**

**"Therefore, it is only fitting that I deal with you in the same way."** the figure responded before the shadow flew forward and swallowed Oliver in darkness, not even giving him a time to scream as he felt himself pulled from his chair. However, he soon found himself on ground again, but this type not even feeling like the wooden floor of his room. He then looked around in shock, his eyes trying to see through the thick darkness that was around him, his own feet feeling a cold surface as he stumbled around. As he spun around to try and find some form of light, however, he soon found himself face to face with the same red eyes as before. **"Come, it is the same as seeing into the night with the abilities I gave you. Look, and embrace the darkness of which your powers come from."**

_-present day-_

Oric yawned as he finished cleaning the last of the glasses, a light rain pounding on the windows as the man processed what was recently revealed to him. The moment Sylphia came in she started talking about the backstory Oliver had, which held him in surprise given the man actually opened up about it. Back when he had first arrived, Oric tried to get him to open up after he had frequented his place for a month, but the man seemed to bottle up like whatever he had seen or committed still haunted him. _'I guess it's because you fought Elia, then.'_ Oric thought as he began to daze out while watching the rain, leaning forward a bit as he kept his eyes on the water droplets, soon resting his head one one of his hands as he went through his own memories. They were, however, stopped as soon as he heard a crash in the room, causing him to bolt up and turn and see one of the waitress's in front of a shattered mess, the drinks from broken glasses already mixing and pooling on the floor.

"Oi, snap out of your daze and clean that mess up before the scent soaks into the wood! We're a tavern, not a second-hand pub!" Oric shouted, making the waitress run off as Sylphia sat down at the bar and watched, now on her break as Oric walked along the bar. He then sighed as he pulled out a chair he kept behind the bar, soon setting it down beside where Sylphia was before he went back to the glasses. "Though I shouldn't really complain about dazing out given my previous state... So Oliver told you _specifically_ that he was in a civil war?"

"Yeah, though it seemed to drain a bit of the strength he had before me and Serphy arrived." Sylphia spoke as she watched the waitress run back over with an empty bucket and a large cloth used for these messes, some of the waiter's moving in and setting up a form of blockade for people to walk around the mess. "He picked right back up after we ate, but I doubt Serphy had finished asking questions about a past he almost never speaks about."

"Well neither of you asked him exactly what he did before coming here, after all." Oric responded as one of the waiters placed a plate full of dirty glasses, one of which holding a note. Oric then smirked before he took the note out of the glass and put it beside him, soon grabbing the glass afterwards to start cleaning it. "I've asked him about his past a year ago, wanting to know more on one of my frequent customers, but apparently the memory of the losses in that war were still freshly with him, along with whatever he did. To think he actually calls himself a general that was under a defeated banner, though..."

"He seemed to still hold some pride in it, and wasn't afraid of telling people if asked." Sylphia spoke as she looked out the windows, seeing a soldier patrol marching past. Oric only nodded as he looked out to them, his mind already going through what might happen if anyone else found out that fact. "Do you think-"

"He chose to live in seclusion for a reason, and he's already personally said that he doesn't want any part in training troops." Oric interrupted as he placed a clean glass on the shelf behind him, soon turning back around to Sylphia before picking up the note. "You aren't any spy of the kingdom, nor is it any information that was asked for, so it's not your place to give out someone's past."

"I suppose that's true..." Sylphia responded as she turned her head back to the waitress that was cleaning, the shattered glass now all but gone as the waitress moved to toss the current bucket full into a pile Oric kept outside for the craftsman guild in town to reuse or toss. Oric then smirked as he opened the letter, reading through what was in it as Sylphia looked over to him. "Another note to pass along from those normals?"

"Apparently another report, though not really important since the drink in the glass made it close to illegible." Oric responded as he crumpled the note. Arlus knew how loyal Oric was to the kingdom along with the information he could grab around the city, so the man normally used the tavern for his spy network, some of them even talking to him directly while he served them. However, he forced a limit on the information the prince received, making sure it wasn't anything that would harm the men that kept to honest lives. "Apparently there's some talk between the traders of a large beast sulking through the forest this morning, looking to be one of the native of the western lands."

"I saw one of those as well!" came a voice from the entrance, causing the two to turn to find a wealthy looking trader walking into the tavern, obviously listening to the two fairly recently from how he seemed more weary than energetic for finding someone talking. "Can I get an order for the road?"

"With how the rain's about to get, you'd have better luck staying the night at an inn." Oric responded as he picked up the next glass and started to clean it, his mind already on the man's words. "So you're sure you saw that Behemoth?"

"Of course, it seemed to stand the same height as the trees, walking on two legs with some symbol branded on its arm." the trader spoke as he looked out to the rain. "I was taking a cart of chickens to sell to a nearby village, but the creature came out of nowhere and attacked the cart. I was lucky enough to get out of there alive with my horse."

"Sounds like a bluff to get a discount." Sylphia spoke as she smiled, making the trader look over to her rather annoyed.

"I don't joke about my own life, lady." the man spoke as he pulled back his sleeve, revealing a several bandages that had a light red streak going from his elbow straight to his wrist, making Orics gaze change to a worried one. "The creature had attacked me a few days ago, and would've gotten me if it wasn't for my livestock crying out in the cart. Though given the fact that they're more than likely killed, it would've been better if I had been killed. Now I have to raise another brood and hope I can get by with the eggs that I've had so far."

"Where did you see this Behemoth at?" Oric asked, looking at the man as they rolled their sleeve back over their arm, the man only looking at him confused. "We have some good soldiers that can deal with it if they know the location."

"I was attacked far south of here, around half a day away." the trader replied, making Oric nod as he looked over to Sylphia, who just nodded before walking out to inform any nearby guards of the monsters. When he looked back to the man, however, he noticed they had no look of stopping with what they knew, sending a sliver of worry back into him. "However, from what I learned from other traders, it seems to be slowly moving north along the path, some finding demolished carts near the split in the roads leading to the city."

Oric's gaze turned grim on that information. The split in the road marked where the roads changed from heading south and east, and many of the main trade routes. _'Oliver's house is over near the split as well...'_ Oric remembered as he finished cleaning the glasses and looked over to the rain hitting the window, now growing heavier as the storm grew closer. _'He's in the most danger at the moment, but Sylphia is already heading to the guards to warn them of the monster. Along with that, only three people in this entire city know where he lives, so the only thing we can do is hope he shows up later today.'_

* * *

"My lord, news from the scouts." came a voice as Arlus watched the rain from his own window, his own eyes still analyzing every drop as they made their path. "Our suspicions were correct on the beast bearing a seal on it's arm, but it's unable to be discerned without it knowing of their location. They already lost three men attempting such and found continuation foolhardy."

"As they should have, there's no need in learning things if you end up dead in the process." Arlus spoke as he turned to the man, his gaze soon finding the king directly beside him, making him take a slight bow. "Fathe-I mean King Indras, I didn't know you were here."

"Of course not, I've kept to myself outside of international affairs and the larger scale of the land, and you can cut the formalities since we only have this man watching." the king replied, his own beard reaching past his chest as he walked up to his son and looked to the papers on the desk beside him. "I see you've kept yourself busy with the tasks I've given you, and have even gone further with these scouts you have."

"Of course, I was given leave to do as is needed for the realm." Arlus responded as he looked down at the papers himself. "I'm having the guards send out a patrol to deal with the beast we were talking about, a group of ten well trained soldiers so as to not cause it to flee from a large amount of numbers. Along with this, we'll be sending them out to a hunter that's lived out in the area in order to aid them in tracking the beast, this one in particular being strong enough to face Elia."

"That man that the soldiers kept murmuring about while on duty?" Indras asked, only receiving a nod from Arlus as he looked back out the window. "It's probably for the best then, though he may not be as limber as he was when fighting Elia, given how much it tired her out."

Arlus kept his own gaze still as he watched the rain hit the window. He had already thought of this, but with how the beast was moving towards the city, there was no alternative. "The way things are now, there really is no choice." Arlus responded as he looked past the rain to see smoke coming from a few of the chimneys. "The beast bears the seal of some group or country that we have yet to see, meaning that it could be here to either cause us grief-"

"Or to give us something to go after by claiming the seal." Indras interrupted, making Arlus only look at him and nod. the king only sighed as he looked down to the castle walls, seeing some of the soldiers in full plated armor standing in their posts, the only things covering their heads being the cloaks issued for them. "War has sprouted all around us, so it would be natural for someone to try and separate us from our alliances with other countries. We've dealt with these kinds of things before."

"But not with anything that would bear the seal of an opposing country." Arlus replied as he turned and walked to his mirror, viewing his own attire as he went through his own comment. They were a commander's uniform, one normally worn by the master of tactics, dictating his own title to the men around him. It was because of this title that he had to work so hard, despite others telling him it wasn't needed. "For all we know, they could be someone from our own country that's planning a civil war directly after whatever war they sprout from this beast. It could even be one of the city states of the lesser kings, aiming to try and grab power. With how the creature is heading for the city, however, we would have no choice but to assume that it's main goal is to attack the city. If something like that were to cause devastation to the very capital of our country-"

"It would cause an outcry throughout the kingdom to call for war against whatever seal is bore on that creature." Indras responded, interrupting Arlus again as he looked to his father with grim eyes. "You truly are starting to over think things like everyone has said."

"If I didn't, then I would be giving those sworn to become kings a bad name." Arlus responded, looking back at the mirror as his own gaze darkened. "Though it does have me wondering: does this land of our truly need so many kings, with how it is falling into depravity?"

"That is something for you to answer when your time to rule has come." Indras responded, soon walking towards the exit as the man who had given the reports for the scouts had stayed kneeled this entire time. "You may want to have this man move before he falls over from how sore his legs could be getting. Have you already sent out the letter dictating who should go?"

"It left minutes before he arrived, so they're more than likely already on their way to the southern end of the forest." Arlus replied, turning back to the rain as he saw lightning flash overhead. _'So then, how shall our beast play out...'_ Arlus wondered, feeling his own senses give off a form of warning, as if telling him of something that was trying to awaken in this rain.

* * *

"Looks like the rain is growing thicker." came Serphia as she watched the rain pouring out over them, the now soaked patrol exiting the southern gates as she drank some of the soup Oric had sent over for the guards in a cup. The soup itself was made from some of the dragonlings that wandered around the forests, so it was a pleasant gift he sent over in order to keep their spirits up in the rain, that was cut enough to be drunk easily. _'It always tastes like a mix with beef and pork, doesn't it...'_ Serphia thought as she kept her gaze on the forest ahead of them, her own squad moving through the forest to find the creature.

"And we're the sorry bastards that are walking in it to find any signs of that western monster." one of the soldiers whined as they pulled their cloak over their soup. The guards and soldier captains decided that it would need a mixed group of ten soldiers to deal with the monster, so they set up their best of both to march out. Serphia herself was chosen out because they decided on Oliver to aid in leading their group from his recent accomplishments with the other monsters.

"No moaning, we're soldiers and guards of Emerial that serve directly under the royal family." replied their commander as Serphia walked beside him, going down the path she usually took to reach Olivers home. "So the man who bested our princess lives out in this place?"

"He was granted the supplies to make his home by Prince Arlus due to an agreement during the festival, if I recall." came one of the guards, causing Serphia to smirk as she remembered that. _'It was also from how I told him of the festivals customs.'_ Serphia thought as she remembered her instructor's face, her mind going through the memories of her training and events with him over the past year. _'...I just realized, I don't even know what his age is while he's been there for my own birthday.'_

"Still, it's no wonder he could face her if he's lived out in this kind of weather without purchasing that many items..." came the commander as they walked under the trees, the downpour now less from the new obstacle as Serphia gulped down the last of her soup. "Does he make his own meals and drinks, or does he only make one or the other?"

"We have a short while until we reach his house, so you can ask him when we get there." Serphia spoke, putting the cup into a small satchel on her side as the soldiers all marched, all unaware the turmoil they would soon face along the path.

 


	9. IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I've been gone awhile from here, haven't I? heheh yeah sorry about that, meant to only be gone for a bit but I ended up getting caught up in reading and playing a few things. Regardless, I'm going to be posting one more chapter in a few days and will continue the idea of a chapter every few weeks, so stay tuned for that.

Oliver sat at the front of his porch as the rainwater trickled off of the roof over him, landing around the dirt as he took a bite of his own meal, a makeshift sandwich with the food he had from yesterday. _'Really glad I learned how to cook from my dad...'_ Oliver thought as he looked at the ring on his finger, remembering the first few times he had cooked and it ended up coming out as a black charcoal. Any time he had messed up, his dad made him run around the block three times, where he'd have a meal waiting for him at the end of it. He even did the same thing if he used his abilities to cook it, even though it always ended up better. He then looked to the dagger on his belt, the pommel shifting in the shadow of his arm as he remembered the lack of abilities he had. _'Though it is a good thing that limiter hasn't taken some of my funner abilities...'_

_'Only because it's a machination of your mind.'_ came a familiar voice in his head, making him sigh as he looked up to find a pair of eyes staring down at him. The eyes then slowly fell in front of him before Reginhard appeared in front of him, holding his own staff as he looked to the east of the house, seeing the area covered in mud as he walked to the steps of the house. "You've got a few loose screws over in the steps down here, though that's not the major concern to direct yourself to."

"Good to see you too, Reginhard." Oliver spoke as he stood up, the figure soon turning back to him with a gaze more serious than friendly, making Oliver stop from his approach as he looked to the man. "What did you mean by a machination of my own mind?"

"I mean it as it is, my lord, since the only reason the others had their abilities sealed for a period of time was because they had separated from you." Reginhard spoke as he tapped his cane on the area, the shadows under the boards soon rising and forming into memories, swarming through every event that Oliver had gone through up until this point in a matter of seconds as Reginhard kept his gaze on them. "So I've kept away for four months since my last monthly visit, making it four months every month, and you're student has returned in this time..."

"Excuse me, but you were talking about my own abilities prior, not the memories of my current life." Oliver responded as the memories ended, Reginhard's gaze clearing as he looked back to Oliver. _'It's a good thing he focuses more one problem at a time and choosing the more urgent of the two, but it still gets annoying...'_ Oliver thought as he remembered how he had made the being, his own gaze looking to the rain as he pondered what Reginhard said. "So what you're saying is I'm forcing myself from my abilities?"

"Exactly, though you would only have enough for three hours with how you've wasted it on the shadow fires." Reginhard spoke as his own gaze glowed orange, no doubt to scan for anyone around if Oliver knew how he was made. "It may have been eight years back in your realm of origin, but for you it's only been a year since the last events of the war. Along with that, you never took a moment to mourn those you lost properly, and are slowly pooling your emotions together again. Have you already forgotten what happened when you-"

"That's as far as you'll go on that day." Oliver interrupted immediately, his own gaze now glowing red as Reginhard looked at him with his own gaze unmoving. "Of course I haven't forgotten that day, but what do you expect me to do when I've had to live in this kind of environment? I'll only mourn properly when I've found something decent to use in memory of the losses I've suffered and caused, and the only thing that is proper for it is with Ksalso."

"Then it seems you'll be able to do it soon, but not soon enough to save your own student." Reginhard responded as his eyes cleared, the shadows rising again and forming together to reveal the same mirror he had before as Oliver looked at him in shock. Reginhard then tapped the staff into the mirror, revealing a part of the road where he could see a group of soldiers marching along, Serphia standing at the front with what appeared to be the commanding officer. "They seemed to be heading this way, and are around twenty minutes away from here."

"If they're heading here, why did you say that my inventory wouldn't be here soon enough to save her right now?" Oliver spoke, clear worry in his voice as he watched the screen, Reginhard simply directing his hand to the viewing glass as the two watched, one in fear of the unknown while the other looked on with full knowledge of what was arriving.

-Serphia-

"Gods, this cut feels like absolute shit." One of the soldiers, a spearman who had decided to go without a cloak, whined as he poked the bandage on their left hand. During their trip towards the house, he had found a small creature wandering near them and decided to tempt it over with some food. The creature went and took it gladly, but not before getting the man with one of it's claws to get them to drop it. "How much longer is it until we reach this hunters home?"

"Just a few minutes away, if we continue to walk at our current pace." Serphia responded as she looked back to the man, soon turning to the commander of their operation with a confused look. "How is he a part of this group if he's whining over a small cut like that?"

"He may whine about it, but he only complains before the job, along with the fact that he's among the only ones of us who can hunt." The commander spoke as they walked along the road, the clouds above them showing no signs of leaving despite the lightened rain. This was the same for the rest of the soldiers and guards, each bearing exceptional prowess on the battlefield, but only a few of them had ever fought the danger beasts around the land, the commander himself originally belonging to a tribe that hunted them. Out of all of them, the only ones who had ever fought danger beasts were the commander, the guy who was whining over their hand, and Serphia from her training with Oliver. "If we're lucky, we can make it to our location before the rain starts up again. Though it does make me wonder, how come he lives so far out of the city?"

"When I asked him, he only said it was because he didn't like crowds, though he seemed used to moving through them when he was going through the areas during the festival last year." Serphia responded, her own gaze keeping on the trail to look for a marker Oliver put to show the location to turn for his house. The marker in question was a spearhead stabbed into the top of one of the trees that was closer to the road than the rest. In fact, the spearhead in question was so well concealed that it would be impossible to find if you didn't know where it was, being placed in between two branches that met at the trunk. "I also learned recently that he was originally part of a war that took some of his friends, so he probably doesn't want to have the same thing happen again."

"So I guess that he took you joining the army rather hard." The commander spoke, Serphia only replying with a nod as they heard the leaves above them rustle from squirrels starting to move through them, more than likely to find or improve their shelter before the rain hits again.

"At first he didn't like the fact, but he didn't try to stop me because of his belief that we choose our own paths." Serphia responded as their steps made splashes into the puddles forming in the road. "He then decided that he'd train me even harder in combat before I even made it to the front lines, even teaching me different formations and their weak points."

"Like the shield wall you had pointed out back at the Eastern plains against the bandits?" the commander asked, Serphia only nodding in response as they made it to a turn in the road, making the man only smirk at his recollection of the events. "The commanders were pretty shocked when you knew of it while some of them had never even seen the formation put with axes and swords, and it would've been more difficult without the spear wall to hold them."

"He was pretty strict on the formations and tactics, even going so far as to buy parcel to draw out the formations in order to teach me, but it was nowhere near as hard as his training." Serphia responded, shuddering as she remembered a point she was having to keep her balance on a slick boulder, the only thing to land on around it being the grass while Oliver tossed up either seeds or pebbles at her to block. _'How the hell did he even think that kind of training up...'_ Serphia thought as the soldiers moved, only for all of them to stop as soon as they heard the snapping of branches. Normally they would've kept moving from them, but the commander immediately raised his left hand up, halting all of them in their tracks as he looked around the area. Serphia just kept her ears on the area around them, only hearing the light pelting of the rain overhead. However, there was a small tremor that sounded in the beat of footsteps as the rain fell, slowly growing louder as she reached for her sword, the commander only reaching for a dagger on his belt as the others went for their own weapons. The tremors were beginning to grow louder, as well, the group now feeling the ground shake as they looked at the forest around them. Though the forest itself wasn't as large as the forests in the northern lands, they still were tall enough to conceal large beasts around the area, and because of this there were some that could scale taller than a twelve man squad could handle.

"Listen up, if this is the creature we're looking for and it appears larger than the reports gave, do not flee back to the city." the commander spoke as he placed his free hand on his sword, the soldier who had the wounded hand now pulling his spear off his back, their gaze changing to that of a cold machine only set on one task as the other men just drew their weapons and formed a seven man circle gazing at the forest around them. "The last thing we need is the creature reaching a city that isn't prepared for the onslaught."

The soldiers only shouted a "Sir!" quickly in response, the guards in the group giving a slow "Understood!" as Serphia and the commander etched along the circle. The circle itself was only spears with small bucklers, the spear itself being only as long as four feet while the shields were far from large enough to defend from any attacks from a massive creatures, though small enough to allow the men better maneuverability with their own weapons. Serphia herself only had a sword and a round shield, the sword itself being a gift from Oliver that he had made for her with the money he had gotten.

_"So long as you bear the resolve to live and fight for that which you believe in, you'll be able to find a way through most situations, but sometimes that isn't enough."_ Serphia remembered him say as she heard the leaves begin to rustle to their southern side, a massive form now appearing as it seemed to move slowly forward, causing the ground to shake as it came forward. It's fur was of a silver hue, the creature easily standing above them on four limbs. It bore two arms and legs, the arms themselves holding dagger sized claws and easily large enough to deal major damage to the rest from how it approached, the arms causing the tremors they felt. It's head bore twin horns while the face was that of a lion's, and it's eyes a blood red.

"A Behemoth with a silver pelt..." the spearman spoke as he took a defensive stance, a slow sense of dread filling all of them as the beast laid it's eyes on the group. Out of the western beasts, the behemoths were among the deadliest and most intelligent, sometimes being used by other hunting groups to face even deadlier opponents. It's size, however, towered right beside the trees as it stood on it's hind legs, it's arms outstretched and being the size of three men in height, going down to slightly taller than one if it placed it's arms back down. The beast's gaze then rested on the grouped soldiers as they moved into a spear wall, their defense holding very few openings for even a beast such as the behemoth. However, the spearman was the first to realize something wrong, seeing the beast not even fearing the wall of spears in front of it. "Get out of your formations immediately and scatter!"

By the time he had finished his sentence, the beast had already charged into the seven grouped people, Serphia and the commander jumping to the side as it's claw stretched out, the spears breaking like twigs without even scratching it's fur as their cries of surprise and pain came out next, the group now being butchered by the beast as Serphia watched in shock. Three of the men had scattered correctly and immediately moved to attack the beast with their own weapons, two coming from the beasts left and another from it's right. the creature only roared as it slashed it's arms outward, smashing the two to his left together with resounding cracks coming from both them and their weapons, and it's right hand gripping the single man that had attempted to strike it from the other side. Then, with one swift motion, it squeezed down it's hand and crushed the soldier like an ant, a sickening crack resounding through the area as it moved back down onto all fours, dropping the crumpled corpse.

"All in one fell motion..." the commander muttered, looking at the beast in shock as it looked over the bodies to see if any remained living. "

_'There's a difference between a fight with the possibility of winning and a one sided battle.'_ Serphia remembered Oliver saying, the statement coming from the first time he had trained her with weaponry. _'When you are in a one sided fight, the best option is to take from Sun Tzu's art of war, and retreat in order to strategize a better playing field.'_

"But how do you retreat from something like that..." Serphia muttered, the commander and the last remaining soldier now to her right as the beast turned to them, it's gaze bloodthirsty as the scent of blood slowly filled the air. Behind it, they could see a single man still alive, his arm being the only thing severed as he was trying to crawl away, sputtering in pain as it passed the beast's hind legs. However, his progress was halted as soon as the beast lifted it's leg and smashed down into him as if it was crushing an ant. "It's ensuring none of us come out of this alive, and isn't even taking a second thought in it's attacks."

"There's no need for it to if our weapons can't cut through that fur." The commander spoke, drawing a second dagger as he looked at the seal on the creature's arm, the behemoth itself just watching the three and waiting for them to make their move. "It bears the seal of the Northern kingdom despite it being a Western monster... We can't deal with this creature as we are, and I don't know if any of us us could hold it back to give the others time to run. The only thing we can do is fight and search for an opening. Orias, you jump to the right the moment it makes it's move, Serphia jumps to the left! I'll draw it's attention onto me and see if there are any weaknesses we can exploit."

"Sir!" the two shouted in unison, the beast now slowly approaching as the commander flipped his weapon to where he was gripping the edge of it, his gaze focusing on the eyes of the creature as he thought through a plan. _'Though I say that, we have no chance of dealing with it, and are more than likely dead...'_ the commander thought, his grip on the blade tightening as he reeled it back. _'However, that doesn't mean we can't at least wound it in our attempt to survive.'_

-Oliver-

Oliver just stared in shock as he looked at the scene in front of him, seeing the behemoth duck under the flying dagger and charge forward to slash at the three remaining. Serphia and the spearman jumping to the sides as the third ran forward and slid under it, slashing at one of it's legs only for the blade to just flow along the hairs without a single mark of the attack. _'That area is a good half a mile away, and I wouldn't be able to help even if I had a proper weapon for it...'_ Oliver thought as he watched the creature lightly kicked the dagger user into one of the trees as if it was knocking back a flee, the man falling to the base grunting as the spearman backtracked closer to him. At the same time, he watched Serphia move in between the beast and the other two as the creature turned around and locked its gaze on her. _'Don't try to fight it, you idiot! That creature is far above your level of prowess and weaponry. Anyone can see that.'_

"If she dies, this world will also lose a key person of it's history along with a disciple of your arts." Reginhard spoke as Oliver watched, his own body shaking as he watched Serphia take a defensive stance with her shield, Oliver's mind slowly returning to Lief as he saw her shout something to the other two. he then watched as the spearman picked the man up, taking him towards the road as Serphia ducked from a claw swipe, slashing up only for the blade to bounce off it's arm as she rolled to the side. Oliver's own gaze started to glow a dark red as the shadows around the two started to rise, seeming to pool into him as he kept mouthing a single set of words.

_'Don't worry, it's my duty as your servant and creation to give my life for you. You did bring me life, after all.'_ Oliver heard as he remembered Lief's final words to him, his mind then going to Derek as well as his body shook harder, trying to push out whatever hell he had felt when they had both passed. _'Oliver, it's been a fun run, but it seems I'm finally going on ahead. Tell Wayland sorry for taking his sword with me.'_

His gaze then noticed the seal on the monsters right arm as it swiped at Serphia, knocking her into one of the trees along the road as the two men managed to go out of sight behind the trees, more than likely waiting for it to run past them once it finished with her. _'You have walked the path of the conqueror, Oliver, and it is because of this that your ambition is your final obstacle.'_ came a voice in Oliver's head, a voice from before the final battle that decided his arrival to this land. _'You've constantly held yourself and your emotions back despite what it did three years ago, all in order to achieve that said ambition. If you want to truly stop losing those you care about, then you have to stop acting on intellect alone and fight by both it and your instincts. Otherwise, you will lose those you care about again and again because you were too weak to be yourself.'_

"No, not again..." Oliver finally spoke, his voice shaking as he felt his own emotions finally pour through him completely, the feeling of loss and the rage he had felt at the deaths of his comrades returning in one fell. His own body then began to shake violently as the darkness pooled around him, rising over his body as he felt something crack inside of him, the shadows forming ripples around him as voices started to come through them, from the conversations of merchants to the screams of anguish in a battlefield. Then, his words and the voices around stopped as the darkness blasted into the air with a deafening scream, parting the clouds as his gaze changed from a dark red into a bright orange, Reginhard only smiling as he kneeled before the man from the sheer force of his pressence, the blast of darkness soon vanishing along with the man. Oliver's voice remained, however, this time with a calm rage as it spoke to the old man. "Reginhard, ready Erebus for me, and make it quick. I'll be going over there personally to deal my judgement."

"Of course, my lord." Reginhard spoke as he looked up to a hole that was now in the porch roof, a black cloud resting over it as a pair of orange eyes stared in the location of the fight. "However, it won't be coming any time soon."

"That's fine, I'm only intending to use it after I've sent the beast to it's masters." Oliver responded, his mind recalling the seal on the monster's shoulder. his form then vanished as Reginhards did the same, the sky above the house now the only area that could see a clear blue sky from the sheer power that blasted up through it.

_-Serphia-_

"Take the commander and get out of here! I'll try to hold it off." Serphia shouted, making Orias nod as he picked up the commander, the man obviously dazed and with his forehead bleeding from the impact. Serphia then turned her gaze back to the behemoth, her mind going through the options. _'The way this fight is going, it would be better if at least a few of us managed to escape it...'_ Serphia thought, looking to the scattered corpses of the others who had simply kept in their circle. _'So this is what Oliver meant by not going against anything until you're absolutely certain of it's strength.'_

She then snapped back to reality as the creature slashed towards her, ducking under it easily and slashing upward on it's arm, only to have the same response as the commander's weapon. As she scrapped her blade on the fur, she felt like she was scraping over steel itself before the creatures body bashed into her, causing her to fly back into one of the trees behind her, hearing a few cracks as her armor cushioned most of the damage, followed by a searing pain in her left arm. She then screamed as she fell to the ground with her weapons fallen beside her, clutching her arm as she saw the gaze of the creature focus on her, not even caring about the other two that had vanished from sight. _'Looks like I at least drew it's attention away...'_ Serphia thought as she reached down and picked up her sword while trying to move her other arm, only to find the pain in it too much to bear. _'Is this really how I'm going to die...'_

"Sorry, but I won't sit idly by living in retirement if you plan on killing my disciple." came a voice, the tone of it malicious as the shadows under Serphia and the beast drew towards each other as Serphia looked down entranced at the shadows pooling together, a black form slowly rising from it as the beast halted its slow approach while it's eyes widened, the fear of the form seeming to be felt even by Serphia. The form then raised it's right hand, scattering the shadows from it as Oliver stood in it's place, his body covered in black armor that held a royal design to it. "Especially since I've lost more than enough comrades from my own idiocy and hubris."

"...Oliver?" Serphia only muttered as the man stood in front of her, shadows forming as if from nothing in Oliver's hand as they wrapped together into a black blade, his gaze holding a rage she hadn't seen before.

"I've told you this time and time again, when you see an opponent far stronger than you, find a way to escape it while minimizing losses in a way that doesn't end your own life." Oliver simply spoke as he pointed the blade to the creature, fear appearing in it's eyes as he smirked. "Fortunately for you, though, any logical creature that doesn't have the naivety of humans bears an inner fear of the primordial darkness I use. Though this behemoth's fear is proper, given my title."

"Title..." Serphia only responded, still trying to wrap her head around his appearance. Oliver only sighed before he looked over to her, his eyes glowing orange as he seemed to look over her up and down.

"Seems like you have a few cracks in the bones of your left arm, along with a few bruises around your body, but nothing that can't be healed later." Oliver spoke as the glow faded, his gaze returning to the creature before his voice made a few gurgled growls that sounded almost identical to the sound the beast had made, making it back away before it turned and ran, making him smirk as the blade turned into a black ball. "And so the game of tag begins..."

"Wait, what the hell is going on? How did you get here so fast and from those shadows?!" Serphia finally spoke, a black bird coming out of the orb and flying after the beast as she walked up to him, dropping her weapon and gripping her arm as Oliver looked over to her.

"Simple, I saw you were in trouble and decided to deny a deadly fate." Oliver responded in a rather sarcastic tone as he walked over to her, looking at her arm as his gaze changed from rage to concern as the rain started to fall again, his mind already thinking through his next plan. "You more than likely want answers, and it's going to take some time till that beast makes it to its home, but I'm going to worry about your injuries at the moment."

"What do you mean by-OW!" Serphia gasped as Oliver's hand gripped her arm, sending a large wave of pain through her body as his eyes glowed a faint green. The pain, however, then began to subside as she felt her arm starting to regain it's feeling and ability to move again, making her look at him in shock as his armor faded, revealing his uniform as he sighed and let go.

"That's about as much as I can do for you with my current abilities, I'll need to focus the rest on the bird I have tailing the Behemoth." Oliver spoke, his gaze now back to the direction the creature had ran, Serphia lifting her arm in shock as she felt a mere trickle of the pain she had before. "It's not completely mended, but it will be if you just wait for a few days and not exert it."

"That doesn't explain how you got here, or how you knew I was here in the first place." Serphia spoke, soon looking to the corpses of the men that had been killed. She then looked back to Oliver, seeing him put his hands in his pockets as she felt her own anger start to swell. "Were you watching this whole time, when those men were killed?"

"Of course not, otherwise I would've jumped in to protect all of you." Oliver responded, closing his eyes as he heard the anger in her voice. He then looked down as he saw the blood of the men killed start to mix with the water, making several light red rivers of blood and water that flowed into the trees as he kept his gaze on it. "If you wish to yell at me over there deaths, it's fine. I'll take the blame of them if it's necessary, given that seven more wouldn't be that many to the numbers under my belt."

"That's not what I..." Serphia started, soon looking down as the rain fell harder. She still couldn't get her head around the scene she just saw, a beast that could easily take them out running at the sight of Oliver when he appeared from those shadows. She then remembered the sounds he had made to the beast, putting a new question in her mind. "What on earth did you say to that thing?"

"Just to run back to it's masters or I'd make it's death even worse than what it had done to the warriors lying around us." Oliver spoke, starting to walk under one of the trees before lightning flashed overhead, making him sigh as he turned and walked back out into the road, his gaze on Serphia as he kept his own gaze in concern before looking up at the sky. "Reginhard, go with Serphia back to the city and explain anything she asks about. This conversation will make me lose my focus if I'm not careful."

"If that is your wish, as well as the fact that Erebus will require some time before it can be sent." came a voice as Reginhard appeared beside the girl, making her look over at the old man in shock as he turned to her smiling. "Right now is a crucial moment to my lord's plan, so any questions you have may be directed to me."

"Who are you? More importantly, how-" Serphia started before Oliver vanished, soon reappearing behind her and giving one quick hit to her neck as he kept his gaze to the south. Her eyes soon glazed as she slumped forward onto the ground, Reginhard only looking to the direction that the other two had left at.

"You can come out, it's plain for us to see that you're there." Oliver spoke, Orias soon coming out from behind one of the trees with the commander, both looking at him warily as he looked to the area. "She's only knocked out, but she still needs someone to give her medical attention. Can you take her back to the city with you?"

"...Sure." the spearman and commander spoke in unison, seeing the strong presence that Oliver was giving at that moment as they approached him. As the spearman picked up Serphia, the commander simply looked to Oliver and finally spoke. "...So then, you're her instructor? Didn't expect you to be a magic user..."

"As much as I'd like to express my apologies for not arriving soon enough to save your men, I really need to focus at the moment." Oliver spoke, his gaze on the trees as his eyes held a faint orange glow, making the commander nod as he looked to the other two. Oliver then sighed before he looked over to the commander. "I do, however, have one question: Will you need to report what has happened to either the princess or your superior?"

"Both, actually, given regulations over a creature of that strength requires the military to take action." the commander responded, making Oliver smile as he looked to the trees. "They'll need to head here themselves in order to process the magnitude of this event, as well, given the new information over what you can do."

"I don't think it'd be wise telling this foreigner about the regulations." the spearman spoke as he hefted Serphia up, making Reginhard chuckle as he watched the scene.

"Trust me, he's more than likely expected all of the potential regulations your kingdom has from the year he's spent here alone." Reginhard responded, making the two look at him confused as he tapped his staff on the ground, turning to the direction of the city. "Now, if you don't mind, we must go to the city with haste. I'll explain all about my lord after we reach it."

"What did I say about using titles in front of others, Reginhard?" Oliver spoke, the two men only looking to him in shock before looking back to the old man, who once again signaled for them to follow before they complied. After that, it remained silent until the men had left the area, a black form soon rising out of Oliver's shadow as the blood smeared into the ground. "You're rather late for the fun, Eanor."

"There's been a lot to do recently in Asgard, along with watching my descendants and granting them some blessings." responded the form as it dissipated into itself to form Eanor, his gaze more hardened than before as he noticed the glow in Oliver's eyes. "So you've awakened your abilities?"

"More like I finally got over what my predecessor told me." Oliver spoke as he lifted his right hand, the shadows under his shirt flowing and dancing along his fingers as he kept his gaze towards the direction of the creature. "To think it would take the fear of losing someone close to me in order to snap me out of it... Sounds like something from the tale of some hero."

"And you're not one, with all we did?" Eanor asked as he looked to Oliver, the man only lowering his head as his gaze turned solemn. Eanor then sighed as he patted Oliver's back, his shadow form not passing through this time as Oliver felt his hand on his shoulder. "Look, take it from one of us who's lived over a few thousand years and don't go hiding your emotions like this. Trust me, it ends up worse than when we were twenty."

"...That may be the case, since we have better control over our powers than we did back then." Oliver replied, looking at his hand as the darkness reformed into a gauntlet, soon spreading the armor over his body as his eyes glowed red. "So then, knowing our luck, how much are you willing to bet that the Emerial troops will get here before the beast gives away the location of its masters?"

"That all depends on how far away they are." Eanor responded, looking to the forest as he sat down in Oliver's shadow, a small poll soon shooting out of it and above them before it expanded into the form of an umbrella, shielding them from the rain as it poured even harder. "How far away is Ksalso, by the way?"

"Right now he's waiting for me to summon him, which I can do pretty easily now since we have a wide open area above us." Oliver responded, making Eanor smirk as he sat down and turned to the man, a small table soon rising from the shadows with a chessboard on it. He then drew his dagger quickly, placing it in front of him as the seven marks gleamed in the lightning flashing above them, his own gaze calm as pieces started appearing on the board. "In the meantime, why don't we play a game to pass the time?"


	10. X

"A silver Behemoth…" Elia muttered, leaning back on the wall of the room as she looked to the commander who had informed her of the attack, Serphia herself still unconscious as she was laying in one of the barracks beds as Reginhard sat beside her. After the men had returned, the commander immediately moved to inform the barracks captain, at the same time managing to find Elia and Arlus there working on the squad formations. They had kept silent during the entire trip in fear of what the old man might do, but it seemed he was honest to his word to the very end. Elia just looked at the old man with a calm gaze, her mind trying to process this man as he used the shadows to look around the place. "And you, you say your lord is Oliver?"

"Indeed, though that's only because he made me the caretaker of his castle." Reginhard responded, his gaze overlooking the forest around the city as his gaze finally found the two men playing a game of chess, three marks on both their sides as Oliver's gaze continued to hold it's orange glow, Eanor only smirking as he tapped one of his pawns that had reached the end of the board, the form soon changing into a queen as the two played their game. "In truth, he absolutely hates being called a lord or anything of that manner, though it is understandable given his lineage being of those who had fought what they had considered a tyrant at the time."

"Lineage..." Serphia muttered, opening her eyes lazily as she looked around, still a bit dazed as she pulled herself up. She then rubbed her neck as she felt the pain from the hit, remembering parts of what had happened.

"You're up." Elia spoke, her voice showing a slight bit of concern as she walked over to the girl, her gaze searching around the place for someone. "Oliver apparently stayed at the area, and I have half a mind to march my troops over there myself in order to understand what the hell he's hid from us."

"But then you'd lose the chance to take care of that behemoth, though you wouldn't exactly succeed in capturing him." Reginhard spoke, his eyes not even moving from the window as he watched Oliver and Eanor play. Elia just looked at him confused, remembering her own match with him. "Unlike when you faced him yesterday, he's regained all of his former strength, though it's depleted from its part in building his home. Besides, would you really stop him from obtaining information for you?"

"You mean the mark on the beast's arm?" the commander asked as he remembered their encounter, making Reginhard only nod as a part of his own shadow rose and formed the seal on the arm. "We already know it's the seal of the northern kingdom, but there's differences in it from their coat of arms."

"Looks like the same seal that's on the drinks Oliver orders when he's eating at the tavern." Serphia muttered, remembering the few times she had taken him bottles he ordered from Oric and had asked about the seal. "It's their trading seal, not the military coat of arms."

"Meaning someone is more than likely trying to play us all for fools." came Arlus, who had remained silent thinking during the entire time, his gaze calm as he saw the shadows moving around Reginhard. "I always found it strange how he managed to kill those creatures with brute force when he brought them back for his agreement, though it just means that he'll be stronger if his abilities only returned just now."

"Indeed, along with the fact that he has the potential of a king." Came a voice, making them all turn to the entrance to find Oric enter, his body straightened and looking as if it was twenty years younger as he walked to Serphia. "I heard from the guards of how only three of the squad came back alive, and was expecting to hear the worse, but it seems we've gained quite the defense."

"Wait, what do you mean he has the potential of a king?" Orias asked, looking to Oric confused as the old man sat down beside Serphia, his gaze overlooking the arm she had in a cast. "Do you mean he would want the power for himself?"

"No, otherwise he wouldn't have lived on his own for so long, and with so little." Arlus responded, his gaze on Oric as the man watched the small viewing glass that Oliver and Eanor were playing chess in, Oliver moving his rook forward and placing Eanor's side in checkmate as the other man sighed and marked a new line. "From what I've heard, though, he has the presence of a king."

"He holds the presence along with the mind for it, though he never wanted to turn his country into a monarchy." Oric spoke, making Reginhard turn to him confused as the man kept his gaze on Oliver and Eanor's game. "Unlike most of the others who had played for control of his country, he found it his duty to ensure it wouldn't fall in his time, making him one of the two main forces at the end of the War of Darkness."

"That is because of the lineage that I had spoken of earlier." Reginhard responded, turning his gaze back to the image as he went through his own knowledge. "The country was founded by two of his ancestors, in fact he was named after the older who had been among those who signed the declaration of the country's independence, and who he found the most correspondence with from their actions in life. Along with this, he had a grandfather who played a major role in a war that shook the foundations of his country along with various others around it."

"Oric, how do you know so much about him?" Arlus asked as he looked to the older man, who only smirked as he stroked his own beard. "Did he tell you about it?"

"No, given it would be impossible for anyone to know in this land." Oric responded as he looked over to Arlus, his eyes not even showing a care of the people in front of him yet showing a form of joy. "I'll explain why when Oliver returns, but until then I'll keep to the secrecy that my own master holds on me."

"What does Instructor Yamada have to do with him?" Elia asked, making Reginhard look back to them confused.

"Yamada?" Reginhard asked, making them all look to him as they saw the genuine curiosity in his gaze, its sight set on Oric as the man looked to him. "Who exactly is he?"

"Someone who saved me and many others, but that explanation will wait until after Oliver has returned." Oric spoke, looking to the screen again as the two men played their game. "After all, that man demanded that I don't utter a single word to him until after he had regained his abilities, and to inform the truth to him alone."

"I see…" Reginhard responded, seeing the unmoving gaze of the barkeep as he turned back to the screen _'Yamada… I can only think of one man who has that last name, but they're supposed to be dead.'_ Reginhard thought, his gaze returning to the game being played by the two men in the rain, their heads covered from the water as they played it. _'What in creation did that missile do, anyway…'_

"In the meantime, I need to understand a bit of the story behind Oliver before I can decide anything on him, and before anyone within the nobles learns of him and tries something brash." Arlus spoke, looking to serphia as she rubbed her neck as she only nodded to the prince as she recalled the tale Oliver had told her.

"I only know bits and pieces, but I'll say what I know." Serphia spoke, making Oric only nod as she started to recount the tale.

-Oliver-

"So then, looks as though they won't be heading out anytime soon, seeing how the ties to Reginhard are feeling, though it seems something's troubling him." Oliver spoke as he got up, stretching his arms as he took a quick break from the game. "That doesn't mean they won't move before I decide to, however."

"Though it is rather curious as to what's caught Reginhard's attention over there." Eanor responded, making Oliver only nod as the warrior stood up, his helmet set by his side. He held a lighter brown hair than Oliver, something that was to be expected for reincarnation along with the physical changes, but the gaze he bore was also different in it's own way. It held ambition, but it also held a sense of a protector instead of a conqueror. _'It's to be expected though, given that reincarnation doesn't leave the mind as it once was.'_ Oliver thought, his mind moving through the small amount of Myrkr's knowledge he had managed to put together as the chess board fell into the shadows. Eanor just looked around, seeing the darkness ripple around them as Oliver picked up his dagger, it's seven marks still showing on the blade. "You're reaching your limit as it is, aren't you?"

"Items forged of shadow fire take a lot of power, even if it's only simple things as nails or hinges, of course this might be my limit." Oliver responded, moving his hand to where it rested on the tip of the blade, his mind remembering the requirements for it to pass through. "I have enough to summon Ksalso to take me over to the beast after it's reached it's location, but I won't have enough to fight afterwards-"

"Unless you use the dagger." Eanor interrupted, making Oliver nod as the man sat down. "I may have twenty thousand years of memories, but I still know a thing or two about our ideas and inventions."

"Just making sure." Oliver spoke as he looked to the dagger, the marks now clearer in their design. At first glance, it would look like nothing more than scrapes on the blade that just happened to be evenly spaced, but if someone took a closer inspection to each, then they would see that the marks each held a small symbol on the center of them, and seemed to ripple with power hidden beneath the metal. "Seven uses until I can properly refuel my power, I made certain of this back when I had left our realm. However, I'm fairly amazed that I haven't had to use it till now."

"Shouldn't you be more focused on your bird at the moment?" Eanor asked, making Oliver smirk before he closed his eyes, focusing his gaze to that of the birds own. As he did so, the darkness around them seemed to calm, draping over them as Oliver's movement ceased, his breathing near nonexistent as Eanor watched. "So that's how we look when we move our mind…"

_-7 miles from Oliver-_

The ground shook as the behemoth ran through it, pushing the trees around it to the side as the black bird followed in hot pursuit, it's eyes soon glowing orange as Oliver witnessed it's run. _'Strange, though, that a creature used for battle knows the instinct to run from those who control darkness.'_ Oliver thought as the bird flew over one of the overturned trees, the beast in an obvious panic from what he had said to it. However, as the bird flew higher and over the beast, flying just over the tree the creature was making, he noticed a look of determination in its eyes instead of fear. _'Well, that's even more interesting…'_

As the bird slowed down, however, the beast slowed down as well, soon looking up at it as if making sure it was following, confusing Oliver further as he went through what he had learned of beasts similar to it. Behemoths, though bearing the same name as a few beasts he had seen in stories and games, were among the more intelligent races of danger beasts, known for their way to use the environment around them when they'd have to face creatures stronger than themselves. Out of all of them, however, the ones with silver fur were ten times the strength of the rest, but were few in number throughout the lands. Because of this, they could be sold for a small fortune as pets or defense beasts, but that would take away the instincts and knowledge they would learn from the wild in the process.

' _So how come this one knows to fear me though it bears a seal of a trading company…'_ Oliver thought, the beast soon coming into a clearing that led to a valley a few yards off. The bird just flew past it as the creature slowed down further, speeding towards the valley in due haste to see a small camp start to appear in it's gaze, it's sight more focused on the area in front of the camp. Along the edge of it was a large wall of spikes, and on each were the heads of beasts and others. Outside of the wall, however, was a small wooden cage that held around ten people inside, each either wearing the clothes of merchants or those of peasants as the bird landed on the top of the cage. _'Reginhard, how long will it be till Erebus is ready?'_

' _Not long, only thirty more minutes in this realm.'_ Came a reply in his head as the birds gaze scanned the area, the behemoth soon reaching the edge of the area before a horn sounded, making it stop. _'I suppose that means you found the location?'_

' _Looks to be the case, but the creature willingly led me here…'_ Oliver responded, seeing five guards move out of the camp and warily towards the behemoth, a small boy walking in front of them. Oliver used the birds eyes to analyze each of the guards, each of them bearing what looked to be basic leather and iron armor, shoddy weapons resting on their sides that still looked to be a higher quality of metal than what the people at the city had. What interested Oliver, however, was the boy in front of the soldiers. He had silver hair and a strong gaze despite only looking around fourteen, but his clothes were tattered and weathered. Along with this, he bore chains on his legs and arms, a collar shining on his throat that led to one of the guards behind him, his helmet discerning him as a higher rank than the rest from the hue of it's shine. _'A slave…'_

Oliver had expected there to be slavery in this era, especially given the events that would occur in a millennia, but it still shocked him to the core as the bird flew over towards the people. It soon landed a few yards away as the boy walked over towards the behemoth, the creatures' eyes focusing on the boy with a far gentler gaze than it had prior. "It's claws are covered in blood." The boy muttered, his movements stopped at a few feet from the beast as he looked down at it's paws. The guard holding the boys chain then lifted his hand, signaling the others to move around the beast as it looked over to the bird, it's gaze showing a pleading look as the guards circled it. The boy only walked forward again as he rested his hand on the creature's nose, patting it as the beast looked back down at him. "I'm sorry for you doing this for my sake."

' _It was being told to by a boy? But why on earth…'_ Oliver thought before the birds form started to ripple, signaling the timespan ending. Oliver only mentally sighed as the bird turned and flew back towards the path it had come by, his mind overlooking the area as he felt his connection to it link together like a chain. _'There's more behind those two, but it will have to wait for when I've come here.'_

 _'In the meantime, the others are watching your form as we speak through a viewing glass I made in the area.'_ Reginhard spoke as the bird flew into the trees, now changing from the path and heading straight for him as he listened to the old man. _'I've simply put it up so I could see more of it, but apparently they've grown interested. Your orders?'_

 _'Might as well make it a show with sound as well once I return, no need to have them worrying over what I might say to those bastards in the camp when I reach them.'_ Oliver responded as the bird landed in the shade of one of the trees, the darkness pooling around it as his own body started to rise up from it. _'Time to make an entrance.'_

_-Behemoth-_

The creature followed the boy as the guards circled around it, aiming their spears at it despite the creatures only focus being on the child in front of it. After two months of these events, it had gotten used to the attempted fear treatment they tried despite it knowing full well that the blades wouldn't hurt it. However, it couldn't get rid of the annoyance in fear of endangering the child in front of it, the boy that pulled it from the dark hole it had been tossed into at birth after two years of it's life. The creatures body then slowly tensed as it caught the scent of another person, making it look up to find the head of a man it had known well, the original merchant who had wandered with the boy on their own path, only for all three of them to be captured by these people. It then lowered it's head as it looked back to the boy in front of it, the child simply looking ahead with grim eyes as he walked past the dead merchant.

 _'That makes seventeen, leaving the boy as the last of those captured.'_ The beast quietly thought, counting the number of people that had died since it's master was captured by these people, now as heads ornamenting the area by the command of the leader of this camp. The creature could've easily decimate all the people in this camp if he had the chance, the entirety of their armory not even being anything stronger than iron, but that would put the boy in jeopardy. The very boy that pulled it out of that dark crevice and raised it beside him at the beginning. _'I can't allow any more harm to come to him.'_

It's thoughts were then interrupted as clapping was heard ahead of them, making the beast look up to find the leader of the group that had captured them. The man wasn't anything spectacular, bearing a balding head and fairly large beard, along with an axe resting on his back that he normally used to decapitate any of the prisoners he deemed unnecessary. "So then, I take it the mission was successful with how your claws show a good deal of blood." the man spoke, a grin on his face as the boy looked away from him. "Just continue like this and you'll be free within two months."

"Enough of the lies, you've said two months for the past three weeks, and said half a year for the past seven months." the boy spoke, his gaze now looking up at the man with anger as the beast noticed the boy shaking from how he had been containing it. "You're lucky that he'd rather die than lose me or I would ask him to kill every last one of you bastards without worrying about me."

"Big talk coming from someone in your shoes." the man spoke as he walked up to the chain holder, soon grabbing the chain before he tugged it, pulling the boy towards him in a quick motion as the beast stepped forward in warning. The man only smirked as he grabbed the boys hair, his gaze cold as he looked down on him. "You may have the blood of the famed Northern General, but your title and your spirit are meaningless here. The only thing that's keeping you alive is the fact that the beast is here and listens to you."

"So you _are_ forcing him into this." came a familiar voice to the behemoth, causing the group to all look over to the entrance to find a man in black armor standing there. The creature immediately recognized them, the same man that had stopped it from killing the girl, but was still shocked over the speed that they came here. "It doesn't explain why such a beast knows to fear beings such as myself, but it's not the first time I've met something that knows my identity. Then again, I don't think the civil war counts given it became a literal war of darkness..."

"How did he find our camp?!" The leader snapped, making the guards simply turn to the man with their spears pointed as the leader let go of the boys hair and drew a dagger on his side, placing it at the boy's throat. The man simply sighed as he walked forward, the glint of a black dagger coming off of his side as he stepped forward.

"So then, I guess that means I can't enjoy a meal then?" the man asked as he heard one of the men blow a warning horn, making him smirk as he heard the thundering sound of steps moving towards him. "Guess that's a no."

_-Arlus, Elia, Serphia and the others-_

"So Oliver and six others had led a civil war in his country under another by the name of Myrkr?" Arlus resounded, Serphia finishing with the tale Oliver had told her as the man sat in thought. Reginhard only nodded to the question of the man, his gaze moving from the viewing glass as Oliver walked further into the area. "But I don't get why he told you that Myrkr was the one who held darkness embodiment if he also held it."

"More than likely because they never asked, along with the fact that he kept the abilities secret for his own reasons." Reginhard responded, making Arlus nod as Oric closed his eyes in though. "Myrkr, or the one Oliver called Myrkr, was the one who trained Oliver in his abilities, and had given him his final test before he came here. At the same time, however, the Myrkr the people knew worked to achieve that which he believed in."

"The way you've said that is as though there's more than one with that name." Arlus spoke, making Reginhard only smirk as he looked to the prince. Elia just kept her silence as she watched the conversation, looking in between her brother and the old man as Reginhard's staff vanished from his hand.

"Myrkr itself is from the norse language meaning 'darkness', and was chosen as a binding title during Oliver's training, as is the custom for those who learn in the control of the primordial darkness." Reginhard spoke, his gaze overlooking the group as they listened, making him chuckle at the intensity of their stares. "The details upon it are personal to Oliver alone, so I am forbidden to say anything of it until he allows me. I can, however, say that the Oliver most of you know is far different from the outgoing one that had led the war, now reverted to a mere hunter, a hollowed shell of his former self from the pain he had felt during the final events of the war."

"Yet he still kept his own unbreaking will from how I saw him." Oric spoke, soon looking to Elia as she nodded. "He managed to kill those first beasts with his bare hands and a broken bow, and even managed to build his own home on his own."

"He even bore more strength than I anticipated during when we had fought, though his move would've been a do or die counter." Elia spoke, remembering her own fight against the man as Reginhard smiled. "He held a massive presence that was of the same strength as our father bears at times."

"Yet he couldn't awaken his abilities till now because he still held himself back from those events." Reginhard responded, making the entire room silent as they looked to him, his own gaze piercing through them like daggers. "He had walked the path of the conqueror and is among the few who succeeded and survived where others died before their achievements became a reality, but had started at a far younger age than most. He was only seventeen when he had decided on the path, and took two years to prepare himself before fighting."

"Just what kind of a man was he?" Arlus asked, making Reginhard only smile as he looked to him, tapping his staff on the ground as the viewing glass grew larger, allowing them to see Oliver better as he was soon surrounded by at least thirty men.

"If you watch, then you'll see with your own eyes." Reginhard responded as Oliver stepped in the middle of the group of soldiers, his dagger raised in a defensive position before he smirked, turning the blade towards himself.

 _"Well then, better get the party started."_ Oliver spoke, the smirk on his face only growing as he stabbed the blade into his left hand, making the men around him back away in shock as his eyes started to glow orange. The others, in the meantime, just stared in utter shock as the blade cut through him like butter, causing Oric to hold his hand over his mouth to keep from gasping as he watched.

"Did he just stab himself?!" Elia spat out as she leaned towards the viewing glass, Arlus just watching the inflicted wound as the darkness under Oliver started to pulse, though the men around him paid it no mind. Elia then noticed something else as Oliver's eyes glowed brighter, making her confused as she looked closer at it.

_-Oliver-_

_"Wait... Why isn't he bleeding?"_ Oliver heard Elia say as he smirked, feeling his control over the darkness return to it's former form as he cracked his neck, pulling the blade out of his hand as the wound closed itself.

"This dagger is merely a means to allow me to replenish my power if I don't have my normal means, though that doesn't apply that it's painless and can't kill me if it hits any vital organs..." Oliver spoke silently as he sheathed the dagger, one of it's seven seals fading away as he looked up at the leader of the band, the child still held by the chain beside him. He then felt as the darkness seemed to wash over his bones, popping and moving them into place as he felt a great deal of stress lift off of him, soon looking over to the boy as he pondered what to do.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly, seeing as how you're going to be the pawns to use to remember my former strength!" Oliver shouted, his voice carrying through the camp as more men poured in and surrounded him, a calm grin on his face as he counted them out. _'Around forty-five in total at the moment, though they probably have more getting some extra things somewhere.'_ Oliver thought, doing a mocking bow as he held a small smirk. "The Wolf of Connecticut, Oliver Wolcott, shall be your executioner this evening."

 _"Wolf of Connecticut?"_ Oliver heard Elia ask, soon hearing Reginhard chuckle as he slid his feet back in a ready stance.

 _"A name granted to him during his time as a mercenary, Connecticut being the place he and his ancestors were born and raised in, though it was not the first title he bore."_ Reginhard replied as Oliver's muscles tensed his gaze having a light orange glow as he viewed more men starting to run in.

"Everyone, I know you can hear me as well as I can hear you." Oliver spoke as the men slowly surrounded him, their weapons all readied as the rain began to pour overhead again. "Let me ask you something: what makes the qualifications of a good leader? Answer it frankly, in what you believe, not what you've been told. You have three chances."

 _"What..."_ Oliver heard Elia say as he felt the very tension of the room seem to reach him from so far away. Oliver only chuckled at it as two of the men ran towards him with spears, causing him to grab both weapons and tug, pulling the men forward even faster as he moved in between the spears and grabbed both of their heads, darkness trickling from his hands and wrapping around their skulls as he heard Elia answer. _"A good leader must make decisions out of wisdom, taking note of the battlefield or the current state of affairs. They must also aim to have the minimum casualties or deaths while working for a goal."_

"Those are the qualifications of a general, which is not the answer I wish." Oliver spoke as he twisted both of his hands, hearing resounding cracks from the necks of the two as he let go of their heads, their bodies falling limp as the men around him backed up in shock. "Who's next?"

 _"A good leader must bear the ability to choose the morally right path, while also paying attention to how it affects the area around them."_ Oliver heard Serphia say, making him smirk as he heard three sets of feet running behind him, making spin around and kick up one of the spears of the fallen men, soon grabbing it before swinging it in an arc as he continued his turn, the weapon hitting the man only three feet from him as two others were behind him on either side, both having axes ready to hack him down. Oliver then slammed his left hand to stop the spin of the weapon before stabbing it into the man in the left, soon drawing it back before spinning it down into the head of the last man, his gaze cold as he felt the crack of the mans skull in the wooden staff of the spear, the man falling past him as the group now got ready to deal with him in a rush.

"That's the idea of a righteous king, one who goes down the path most consider the right path, but it is still not the answer I seek." Oliver spoke as he took a ready stance with the spear, his footing now wider as he noticed ten of the men getting ready to rush him. He then heard Serphia sigh as he spun the spear in his hand, smirking as he crouched down in preparation. "One more, and make it count."

 _"Well then, let's see..."_ came Arlus's voice, making Oliver merely tense as he remember that the prince was with the group, making him ponder what the man's response would be.

 _'If he is the one who will make an empire that will last a thousand years, that might depend on his answer here and now.'_ Oliver thought as the ten men ran forward, Oliver's gaze soon glowing orange as he ran forward faster than any of them, the strikes and slashes of the spear seeming transparent as he seemed to danced around each. he then jumped back to his original position as the ten men fell back, some even having limbs or their own heads fall off as he stood straight, awaiting the prince's answer.

 _"A good leader depends on who you're asking, be it in terms of strength or knowledge."_ Arlus spoke as Oliver smiled, hearing the man's answer only stop for a moment. The men around him, on the other hand, simply moved back in shock as he stabbed the spear into the ground, a black pool forming under him as the leader of the group dropped the dagger, pure terror in his face as he saw Oliver's hand extend out towards him, making him back up from the boy while letting go of the chain as well. _"However, a leader must have the resolve to accomplish that which they believe in, otherwise they will be unable to accomplish any of their dreams. As such, resolve and ambition walk hand in hand for good leaders, but depend on the traits of the man to find if they are worthy of it."_

"Exactly, well spoken for a prince with such potential." Oliver spoke as he turned his hand to face the ground, a black portal opening under the boy as he fell in, making the behemoth roar in response as it reached for him. However, it was too slow as the boy vanished in the portal, another opening above Oliver as the boy fell beside him. Oliver only chuckled as he saw the behemoth look at him in shock as he kneeled before the boy, the child just looking at Oliver with shocked eyes. "You're rather interesting, showing shock instead of fear, despite how young you are. Tell me, have you been held hostage these past seven months just to be used against the beast?"

The boy just sat there in shock, nodding slowly as Oliver stood up, his face changing to a colder form as he held his right hand out to his side. "Then I have no need to hold back and toy with them any longer, they don't even deserve that mercy." Oliver spoke as the darkness wrapped around his head, shaping into a helmet as the men around him just readied their weapons, each showing a glimmer of fear in their eyes as Oliver's gaze changed to a red glow. Then, a black ball formed in his hand as he closed it, the ball changing into a shaft before a warhammer was held in its place, the red glow of his eyes seeming to give a heavy pressure on the men around him as he remembered a set of words he had normally spoken, even close to feeling the enjoyment of the being watching him fight his war as he smirked under his helmet. "Now then, who will be the first to grovel in the face of my wrath?"


	11. XI

The entire area was silent as Oliver stood in the center of the group, the black mass swirling under him as the boy stayed beside him. It had been like that for the past minute, none of the men daring to run or go after him. _'Wow, they genuinely fear what I might be capable of after that event...'_ Oliver thought as he spun the warhammer in his hand to get a feel of the weight, his gaze overlooking the group as he spotted the leader, now etching back to what looked to be a few cages as the Behemoth moved through the men in one of the only opened areas in the outer area, making a few bounds before leaping forward, soaring over the encircled warriors with ease and towards Oliver.

The men around them only stared in utter silence as Oliver looked to the creature, watching as it landed in front of him and looked with hardened eyes, ones that were obviously willing to protect the boy. Oliver only smirked under his helmet as he looked back to the leader, now hidden behind the cages as the dark mass under the group finally covered the camp. "You can have the boy for now, but don't expect my judgment to not move over him as well." Oliver spoke as he walked past the behemoth, lifting his hammer high into the air as the group around him started to slowly etch towards him to attack. "In the meantime, I think I should show you the reason you shouldn't defy me."

With that he swung the hammer down into the ground, causing the dark mass to rise in a blast that covered the area in fog, blinding the entire group as Oliver began to run, the hammer now changed into a longsword. _"What's happening in there?"_ Elia asked as Oliver merged into the shadows, soon resurfacing in the center of a group of men as they tried to see where they were going. In the same action he swung his blade in an arc, severing both bodies and limbs as the cries resounded through.

 _"The fog is a form of darkness that came from the mass he had made, solely made to blind his enemies in this area so he could deal with them faster."_ Reginhard spoke as Oliver's eyes glowed orange, his sight clear as he jumped into another group, his blade cutting through man and metal like butter as he focused on the task at hand. _"It was a tactic that was used by Lief during the War of Darkness, normally being used to ensure the assassination of enemy officials without having to deal with the majority of the guards."_

"Though it only lasts for twenty seconds, given I'm still remembering my abilities after a year of nothing." Oliver spoke as he stabbed his blade into the back of a man he slid behind, soon pulling it out and kicking them into a group of three others before he jumped after him, cutting through the skulls of the men as the black blade started to crack from it's constant use. "How much longer till Erebus arrives, Reginhard?"

 _"Not long now."_ Came the response as Oliver's speed increased, his movements blurred as screams echoed through the darkness of the fog, causing the remainder of the men to either start running in a random direction or get into a defensive stance with anyone beside them. At other times, it ended up the men were killing their own comrades from their fear. _"How much practice do you still need to hold your abilities again."_

"It's not so much my strength as how to control the amount I can use now." Oliver responded as the weapon shattered in his hand at the last attack, causing him to twist the hilt as the shards changed into orbs, firing out around him like a grenade and hitting a good chunk of the men around him, some in the head and others in their knees. The fog soon faded as he stood up, showing no more than three men still standing from the attack as they looked around in shock at the butchery around them, the people viewing the events back in Emerial, Serphia and Oric from how it sounded, gasping as they saw the slaughter. Oliver looked around, seeing a mix of severed limbs, skulls and crushed bodies as the blood poured from open wounds.

"Well then, looks like I did better at the control than I expected, there are still corpses here." Oliver spoke to himself as he turned to look at the boy and the behemoth, both of which having not moved a muscle as the boy overlooked the area. Olivers next movements were quick, vanishing and reappearing through the shadow of the person closest to him, his gauntlet ripping through their plating and back like butter as he vanished again, soon reappearing in front of the last two, grapping both of them by their heads as his eyes glowed a dark red as darkness wrapped around their bodies, preventing their movements as he tightened his grip. "For bastards such as yourselves, there is only one solution."

With that he twisted both his hands, causing two snaps to resound around the area as he let go, their bodies falling over to either side of him as he walked to the two remaining, the behemoth and the boy. The boys eyes didn't change as he looked at the end result, his gaze in utter shock as Oliver looked around while walking towards the boy, the leader of the men having vanished from the area completely. "Well, the main problem's not dead, but I'll know if the man leaves the area. For now, however, comes your judgment that I promised."

Oliver held out his hand as a black portal opened in front of him, his mind reaching out to Ksalso as he did so. _"You're lucky, I got it ready while you were having your fun."_ Ksalso spoke in his mind as a black sheath out of the portal, within it a sword whose hilt looked rusted and dark, unable to be determined as to what it once was. _'It's sadly gotten worse as the time has passed, though, but it's power still resides.'_

"Your judgement is simple." Oliver spoke as he sat down, a black chair forming under him as the child slowly picked up the blade. "My only request is that you pull the blade from that sheath. If you do so, then I'll know what to think of you."

"...What's the catch?" the boy spoke, looking at the blade in confusion. "Is it supposed to do something?"

"That all depends on what happens." Oliver responded, looking at him as his helmet faded, revealing the bearded mans face as he looked at the boy with a smirk. "Tell you what, if it lets you draw it, then I'll tell you all about the weapon in itself."

 _ **"Just like they did with you."**_ Came Ksalso's voice as the boy started looking over the weapon's hilt, the behemoth beside him not even moving from his side as it looked at Oliver. _**"He isn't pulling it immediately like others did."**_

 _'that's because he saw my actions here and now, he knows there has to be a catch to it.'_ Oliver responded, his own gaze overlooking the clouds above as they started to clear. _'Weather's finally clearing up, think you're up for an appearance later?'_

 _ **"Always up for serving you, my lord."**_ Ksalso replied as Oliver looked around the place, his body starting to emanate a black aura as his moves quickened. _ **'You're trying that old ability out?'**_

 _'Just to see if it feels foreign now, given I haven't used it in ages.'_ Oliver responded as he lifted his hand and clenched it, his gaze looking over to the boy as they slowly gripped the blade, his mind remembering a similar event...

_-Twelve years ago-_

**"Look, and embrace the darkness of which your powers come from."** Came the voice of the entity as Oliver looked around the place in shock, his gaze already adjusting to the black mass around him. Where he found himself in a void of darkness, he now saw the ruins of a castle ahead, a purple flame glowing near the entrance of it.

"What on earth, or where ever the hell we are, is that."Oliver spoke, making the entity chuckle as he faded into the darkness.

 **"That is where you'll need to go for now, and where I'll be waiting with another."** Came the entity before it completely vanished, making Oliver look around in shock as he tried to find them, only to see darkness in his wake. Oliver then sighed before he turned back to the castle, moving post haste as he ran through the darkness. The more he moved, the more he noticed his surroundings: where he stood in looked to be the remains of some old city, looking like a city in Iowa that his grandfather had a picture of, save the ominous castle in the area.

 _'Incredible how similar it looks, though.'_ Oliver thought as he finally arrived at the steps of the castle, looking dead at a large gate with a handprint upon it. "Well now, how do you work..." Oliver muttered, walking up to the hand and patting it as he looked around for some form of switch. However, the moment he had removed his hand from it the doors swung open, making his own gaze widen as he found himself staring at a throne room, upon it a large armored figure whose eyes glowed red.

"So then, you're the one that the entity decided on?" came the figure, it's voice deep and resounding around the area as Oliver stared at them in shock, the darkness at his own command starting to move on it's own towards the figure, merging into his own. "Well, can't say I'm surprised they chose you of all people, given your potential."

"What do you mean by my potential, have you been watching me or something?" Oliver asked as he looked around, his gaze analyzing the detail of the area. The inside of the throne room was massive, though the castle itself was something far different from what he was expecting. Despite the massive ominous look it gave, the inside was actually quite elegant, torches along the walls bearing a green flame that shined into a bright and colored room, the throne of the figure looking of solid gold with an ivory finish. However, he could already feel a pull of the darkness coming from everything in the room, the amount far surpassing what he had felt at home. "More importantly, where am I?"

"Where you are is a better question than why you're here, given the circumstances." The figure spoke as they stood, their armor soon fading to reveal and bearded man who looked to be in his mid fifties, his own body clearly far more muscular and spry as the man jumped down from the throne with ease. "This plain of eternal darkness has many names, the most common being The Void, but it is the source of all darkness that you control as it is for all who can command it."

 **"But the darkness chooses it's users, not the other way around."** Came another voice, making both turn to find the entity having returned to them, their gaze glowing a dark red. **"Quite the first trial you put on him there, though, without him realizing it."**

"What trial?" Oliver asked, soon looking back at the door confused as it shut itself. The man in front of him only chuckled at his response as he walked past the boy, moving to the door as his own hands seemed to darken.

"The doors only accept those who are attuned to darkness, and only those who control a specific aspect of it." The man spoke as he placed his hands on the doors, causing them to open in the opposite direction as Oliver watched. The old man then smirked as he looked at the boy, a black flame rolling up his right arm as he continued. "That aspect, as you might be aware of, can be defined into two categories: Ambition and Hope. But this is only to see if you are of the proper affinity, now comes the real trial."

With that the man snapped his fingers, causing a portal to open in the ground under him as a sheathed sword flew out of it, his left hand immediately catching it as it reached shoulder height. "What, are you going to fight me?" Oliver asked, his feet slowly growing further apart as the man smirked, soon tossing the weapon to Oliver. Oliver caught it with a confused look, his own gaze analyzing the weapon itself.

"The sword is known as Hesperus, and it is a blade forged in darkness for a single purpose: to determine whether a person is walking the correct path that they wish or not." The old man spoke, looking to Oliver with a smirk on his face as the boy looked over the weapon. "The task is simple, you just have to draw that weapon from its sheath. Should be simple enough if you are as reliable as the entity claims."

"What'll happen if I draw it?" Oliver asked, looking at the weapon confused as he noticed the complete simplicity of the task. "There has to be a catch to this weapon. More importantly, who exactly are you?"

"You can call me Alegar, and the catch will reveal itself if you can't free the hilt from the sheath." The man spoke as he looked to the void the door had opened into. "You can leave without drawing it, as well, but in doing so you will admit that your ambition and your belief's aren't strong enough to find out how far you can go."

Oliver just looked back at the weapon, his mind processing what was said. _'If I falter here, then I can no longer learn this ability and will walk farther away from my ambition, but I have no idea what will happen if I do draw it...'_ Oliver thought, his gaze along the etching of the hilt, the sides marked in the shape of dragons. He then sighed as he reached his hand out and grabbed the hilt, his eyes covered in a dark aura. _'If I run away from something as simple as he claims, then how the hell can I aim in fixing my own land?'_

With that Oliver tugged at the blade, his mind determined on the path he had moved for as he felt the weight of the blade. However, instead of feeling the blade come out, the hilt itself popped off, leaving him stunned as he looked at the hilt. "Well, he's got my consent." Alegar spoke, looking to the entity as they moved to the two, their gaze seeming to glow brighter as they looked at Oliver holding the hilt. "Quite the willpower on them though, Alegar."

 **"Of course they would bear that kind of will, Alegar, they were chosen in the same fashion you were."** The entity responded, making Oliver only look at the two confused as he held the hilt in his hand.

"Wait, both of you are Alegar?" Oliver asked, placing the hilt back in it's sheath as he moved to the two, both of which were looking at him. "Besides that, I didn't even pull the weapon, which I'm pretty sure from the feel is a metal blade, out of it's sheath. I only pulled the hilt and broke it."

"The sword has a will of it's own, of course it wouldn't allow just anyone to draw the blade with it." Alegar responded, the entity beside them only nodding as he took the blade from Oliver, turning to leave. "As for the name basis, I'll let the oldest person here do the talking."

 **"You'll still be called on during his training."** The entity responded, making Alegar merely wave his hand as he left the area, leaving Oliver and the entity in the room.

"Well, he's low key." Oliver spoke as he sat down, the entity only turning to him in response as Oliver raised his hand, the darkness on it forming into a small bird. "So why are you both called Alegar?"

 **"It is the seal on the terms of the agreement we formed, showing that he holds power in this."** the entity responded as they looked down at Oliver. **"Now that you have been given the consent of one of the fifteen kings, you shall learn directly from me in the arts of darkness that have passed for centuries."**

"I'm guessing a title of king doesn't mean nothing more than a ruler over a slice of land." Oliver replied, making the entity simply keep it's gaze on him as he sighed. "I'll take that as a no."

 **"You'll learn more about them throughout your training, but for now you must make the agreement."** the entity responded, making Oliver look dead in it's eyes as he felt their power seeming to link into him. **"As those who have come before you, you shall grant me a name of your choosing that befits you, and as such will be called the same name. This is to bind the fact that despite your power, it all comes from the void of darkness around you, which I am a physical aspect of."**

"Wait, this entire realm is you?" Oliver stammered, looking around in shock as he held up his hand, soon seeing the darkness seem to flow off and into the entity. It was so miniscule that he couldn't have seen it before, but with how he was now he could see it clear as day. His mind then stopped thinking over it as he replayed what the being had said. _'A name fitting the entity that I believe would fit them... What would you call darkness itself...'_

_-Present Day, two minutes prior-_

"With how he's treating that boy, he'll probably grab that old blade..." Reginhard murmured to himself as he walked out of the room with Elia, the others still watching the events as he moved through the hallways to keep his form. That was the one requirement of maintaining his form, which he would need to move around even a little while he was moving his real body to ready Erebus. "Why is it that you're following me, anyway?"

"Because I can't understand some things, and you still have answers to them." Elia responded, making Reginhard only sigh as he turned and looked to her, the woman's pacing reaching beside him as they took a turn. Her face looked stern, but her eyes were calm, analyzing the old man as they continued their walk. "How old is Oliver, for instance. Surely the training he's been through must've taken some time."

"Indeed, though the matter of his age can be rather surprising for some." Reginhard responded, his staff tapping along the ground as he looked back to the path. "Though if we go by his age physically and mentally, he'll be turning twenty three next month, much as he tries to hide that fact with growing his hair."

"He's that young, while having led a war that reshaped his country with that kind of presence?" Elia asked, making Reginhard chuckle as he continued his walk, her gaze now more concerned.

"Like I said before, he's only a shell of his former self, an effect that occurred after he had time to think through what had happened." Reginhard spoke as his eyes glowed a faint red, making him smile as Elia look at him suspiciously. "If you had met him at his peak, you would feel a presence that would feel as if it could subjugate the entire world if given no other choice."

"What kind of loss did he suffer?" Elia asked, making Reginhard only sigh as he turned back to the medical wing.

"That can be discussed for another time, I've found what he's requested of me." Reginhard responded as he continued his pacing, Elia hurriedly following him as he looked over. "I'll only say this about it, it was the loss if some friends that he could never replace, though one may have been falsified by how I've seen this. However, you'll want to ask Oliver himself on the matter, though you'll have to know him better in order to do so."

Elia only sighed at the response, her gaze moving to the walls around them as they continued their walk. Her gaze, however, was looking over each stone upon the walls, her mind trying to think through what the man had said. _'The loss of people who were only_ "some friends" _wouldn't hit him as hard as he's claiming it did, especially after a long time. They would've had to have been truly important to him.'_ Elia thought as she looked back to the man, now ahead of her as his staff seemed to move like a blur. _'I won't try to push the matter any further unless necessary, then.'_

 _"How much longer till Erebus is ready, Reginhard?"_ came a voice as they neared the entrance of the medical wing, making Reginhard smirk as he opened the door.

_-Oliver, current time-_

_'Well, can easily hold it better than I used to be able to.'_ Oliver thought as he looked to the boy, who had been constantly gripping the blade and releasing it as he looked along the blades grip. _'Quite the fear of repercussions."_

 _ **'You are the one who decided to not tell him.'**_ Came Ksalso before the boys eyes hardened, his hand gripping the blade as he prepared to pull it. As he did, the area seemed to grow darker, as if twilight had taken hold as the boy pulled the weapon. The hilt itself seemed to shatter the rust off of it as the blade slowly drew out with his tug, making Oliver smile as he watched the weapon become free of it's sheath. Ksalso themselves only sent a static of pure shock as it watched the event unfold, the area around the camp slowly returning to it's light. _**'Well, that's unexpected.'**_

 _'Indeed it is.'_ Oliver thought, his mind made up on his actions as he turned to the boy. "Well, looks like you have the right to live and become something great in that which you choose to follow." Oliver spoke, making the boy look up to him as he smirked. The behemoth, on the other hand, just moved in front of the boy, it's gaze stern as it looked down on Oliver. "Quite the defender you have, as well. Does the creature have a name, or is it just a traveling companion for you?"

"...Susanoo." The boy replied, his eyes locked on Oliver as he chuckled at the name, soon turning back to the way further into the camp.

"Well, that explains a good deal about you and the beasts relationship, but the question is if it will end up as I think it will." Oliver spoke as he started to walk, raising his hand in farewell. "Regardless, you drew the sword, so you're free to do as you please."

The boy just looked at him confused, Susanoo just watching Oliver leave warily before it turned back to the boy as he heard a snap, the chained collar he had on shattered and falling to the ground. The boy just lifted his free hand up to his neck in shock, welts from the collar now visible as he rubbed his neck and looked at the man. "Wait!" the boy shouted, sheathing the blade as he ran up to Oliver. Oliver only looked back confused, seeing the boy following. "Don't you want your sword back?"

"The blade let you draw it, so it's yours now." Oliver responded, continuing his path as he heard the sounds of growls further into the camp. "Its name is Hesperus, named after the Greek god of twilight, and it holds more power than you might think. But seeing as I'd be no help in explaining its abilities, it's best for you to just head back to your own home."

"I would if it weren't for the fact that my home is in the keep of the dragon, the farthest keep north belonging to Emerial." The boy responded, making Oliver just sigh as he rested his right hand on his neck, feeling the boys gaze as they made their way through the area. "I could possibly make it back with the aid of Susanoo, but not in the condition I am from the way they had treated me and the other prisoners here."

"Then follow me for the moment, if you're so keen on not running home immediately." Oliver responded, his gaze roaming the area as he contemplated what the boy had said. _'Normally a prisoner wouldn't stick around a place like this for too long if they were recently freed, but this boy seems to already know that this area of the forests are dangerous, even with that behemoth of his.'_ Oliver thought as he put his hand down, a black orb soon coming out of his armor as it changed to look similar to that of the area he felt his connection to the others to, noticing the silence he was hearing from their end. Reginhard was simply there watching on, while Arlus and Elia were arguing with Oric about something, Serphia now resting again as her commander scuffled the three out of the room. _'Reginhard, what are they arguing about?'_

 _'What to do with the boy and his beast, given they were the cause of the deaths of quite a few men.'_ Reginhard responded, his gaze looking directly to where Olivers own orb was viewing the room. _'Arlus believes that there will be an example made should the generals of the council hear about it, and Elia and Oric are against even mentioning the boy and the beast. However, the fact remains that his behemoth is the only thing that could've made those kinds of attacks, so the chances look grim for the boy.'_

 _'I see... Is Erebus ready for delivery?'_ Oliver asked, only seeing Reginhard's head nod in the screen before he smiled. He was about to ask another thing when he heard a roar further into the camp, making him look up from the orb to find a trail of dust rising from the ground ahead. _'...Reginhard, you may want to prep that for launch, and to shut off the feed while you're at it. Things are about to get really bloody here.'_

Oliver then waved his hand over the orb, causing it to fade as he walked up to a wide clearing. Susanoo also looked a bit off as they approached the space, their movements tense as their claws dug into the earth. "Something's here..." Oliver spoke to himself, his eyes glowing orange as he held his arm out to stop the two from continuing on. The boy only looked at him confused as Oliver closed his eyes, his armor seeming to shift as he focused. With it came a silence, the boy too afraid to speak to Oliver as the man held out his hand, a black pulse coming off of it as he continued walking forward. "Massive beasts within the shadows, yet concealing themselves to try and surprise me... they're trained to follow that man, far unlike your friend behind us. Three in total, if what I feel is right."

"How do you know that?" the boy asked, making Oliver only smirk as he walked forward into the open area, soon looking around to find three massive beasts in it waiting for his appearance. The one to his left was a large serpent, an earth dragon from what he could guess from the knowledge swimming in his head, capable of a good amount of power if left unsurprised. It also bore some striking resemblances to the earth dragon he had seen in the beginning of the story for what would occur in a thousand years. To his right there resided a larger version of the beasts he had killed within his first two weeks he had resided here, the gem on the creatures head signifying it as an alpha of it's kind. To his center, however, he saw another Behemoth, this one of the natural black pelt they are known to wear, it's gaze bloodshot as the camp leader stood beside it smirking. The boy kept out of his sight, watching from behind a tent as the silver behemoth took it's own ready stance, making Oliver sigh as he looked around.

"Well, you've caused quite a bit of trouble for my men, especially since we weren't told of a magician within this country." The man spoke, his hand patting the black behemoth as Oliver started to shake, his hand reaching for his chest. "Quivering in fear? I can't blame you, given the array you're seeing right now. So then, any last wo-"

Oliver then burst out laughing, his voice holding more surprise than enjoyment as the man stopped his speech, looking at Oliver confused as the man continued to laugh. As he began to slow down in his laughing, however, he began to speak. "You honestly think that-that these creatures are a match for me?" Oliver asked, his voice calming down as he stood straight again. When he stopped his laughing, however, he held up his hand into the sky, causing a black mass to pour out of the clouds above them, covering the entire camp. "Well, I guess I should show my own hand against you."

"And how do you intend to do that?" came the leader as they looked at Oliver with a smirk, completely oblivious to the area above them as the boy looked up in shock, two large eyes glowing above them as Oliver smirked.

"By allowing one of my original war machines to deal with your beasts." Oliver spoke, swinging his hand down to point at the man. "Ksalso, deal with these vermin, but leave the man alive."

With that a roar rang out, shaking the ground as the man looked around in shock. The beasts, on the other hand, looked up with wide gazes, their instincts screaming for them to not move as a massive form came from the clouds, landing just behind Oliver and spanning to where half of it's body was outside of the valley. The form was covered in scales, bearing black wings that spanned far above the area as a serpents head with two horns rested behind Oliver, it's gaze glowing a dark red that brought the deepest fears of the man to mind as they backed behind their behemoth. To anyone with half a mind, the realization of what the creature was would come to them with one word; dragon.

 **"Quite the spectacle you've put before me."** The dragon spoke, lifting it's head as smoke came out of it's nostrils. The creature then looked down to where the boy was under him, Susanoo standing directly beside the boy in preparation as the massive beast smirked. **"I'm guessing they aren't on the menu."**

"Save your questions for later, Ksalso, for now you need to deal with these creatures." Oliver spoke, his gaze overlooking the beasts as he sat down in place. "I told Reginhard to cut the feed, so you're free to do as you please here."

 **"As you command."** The creature responded as it raised one of it's claws, a black mass flying out of it before landing beside Oliver, taking shape of an ebony man with a red crystal on his left arm. His eyes held the same color of red as the dragons, with his clothing looking like a covering of steel plating over a military uniform. on his hands were a pair of gauntlets, both holding various engravings that were of a wolf and a dragon, the wolf resting above the dragon's head. When he spoke, however, it was of the same voice as the dragons. **"Then with all due respect, my lord, I would like to deal with them in a more maneuverable form, given I could damage others that aren't part of this."**

"Permitted." Oliver replied, resting his head on his hands as he looked back to where the boy was. The child only looked at the new man confused, the skin of the man practically emanating of the same darkness that was on Oliver's armor, the boy's hands gripping Hesperus. "You'll want to watch this, boy, you'll eventually be able to do the same with that blade in your hands."

The man before the two then ran to the earth dragon at a blinding speed, the darkness from his body seeming to concentrate into his gauntlets as he smashed both into the creature, causing a ripple through the entirety of it's body as cracks came along the shell of the earth dragon. Before he could even continue his arc, however, the reptilian beast had moved for the man, biting down onto the mans right arm along with a part of the now falling apart earth dragon as the man looked to the creature. **"Well now, you have quite the bite that could've proved a bit more dangerous if Oliver decided to fight you."** Came the man as he flexed his arm, causing the teeth biting him to crack as he forced his arm out of it's mouth, soon swinging his other fist into the creature's jaw, shattering it as a pain staking wale came out of the lizard. However, it was short lived as the man jumped up and smashed his other fist into the beasts gem, shattering the gem with a force that shook the creatures entire body, making it fall to the ground limp as the earth dragon writhed in pain. The man then smirked as he turned to the behemoth, the creature only moving into a defensive stance as the man backed away, only to find the darkness behind him shoot up into a wall, blocking his escape.

"Now now, my dear commander, why leave when the fighting has almost concluded." Oliver asked, his gaze glowing orange as the ebony man vanished, soon appearing above the behemoth and smashing down into it's neck, causing a resounding pop to echo through the area as Oliver stood up. As the dark man landed with the behemoth following in tow, the commander backed away in utter horror as Oliver walked forward. Oliver's voice was hollow as he advanced, his gaze with a look that sent shivers down the mans spine.

 _'This man doesn't take prisoners, that's the vibe I'm getting from him...'_ the commander thought as he continued trying to back away, the darkness etching back as he did so before Oliver stopped, his footing now directly in front of the man as he looked down at their form, scoffing as he turned to the boy who had come out of his hideaway. "So what, you're going to just kill me while that boy has the same amount of blood on his hands?" The man stuttered, making the boy tense as he looked back at the man. "I may have ordered it and forced him to, but it was him that decided on the creature taking care of the work I demanded. He bears just as much guilt as-"

"You would dare talk back on the edge of death in order to pull someone with you to the afterlife, and a mere child at that?" Oliver interrupted, making the man flinch as his gaze pierced through him. His body began to emanate with darkness, the force of it seeming to shake the ground around him as his eyes glowed a blood red before he felt Reginhard tug into his head. _'My lord, Erebus is ready for you to summon.'_ Reginhard spoke, causing the darkness around Oliver to slowly cease as the armored man sighed. He then turned to the boy behind him, holding out his hand as the child looked at the man. "Boy, I'd like to ask for that blade back for a moment."

The boy, now looking at Oliver confused, only nodded as he walked up and held out the blade, letting Oliver grab it as he tossed it over to the mans feet. ' _ **So you're doing that old test still?'**_ Ksalso asked within Oliver's mind, the ebony figure fading as the dragons head moved down to look above them, it's size easily covering the front of the camp in shadow as the man picked up the weapon skeptically.

"Well then, if you want to live then strike me down with that weapon." Oliver spoke, making the man look up at him in shock as Oliver waved his left hand, a chair rising from his own shadow as he fell back into it. "If you do that much, then you can go free."

The man only looked to the blade and back to Oliver before grinning, a cold gaze coming from him before he tugged at the blade, only for the weapon to not budge from it's sheath. Oliver then sighed as the man continued to tug at the weapon, the darkness to his right slowly forming into a small black pool that wasn't any further than three feet in radius. "What the hell is this trick!" The man spoke, the blade soon shaking out of his grip before it flew back to the boy, making him look at it in shock as Oliver smirked. The boy only looked at the blade in confusion, drawing it out again as if it was completely normal, making the man gape at the blade itself.

"Unfortunately for you, the blade doesn't even like you enough to allow you to even remove its hilt." Oliver spoke, holding his right hand over the portal and moving it in a swirling motion as a small area of smoke rose from it rising to his hand as he continued his speech. "The sword decides who can draw it based on the path the person will continue down, whether it be to go for their own ambition or on the ambitions of others. If that person finds a love for killing no matter what they've seen, or holds a heart that is unwilling to change its way, the sword will refuse them completely. If you wish to atone and grow stronger from those experiences so as to prevent them, however, then it will allow you to draw the hilt of the sword alone."

"The fact that he could draw the sword is another matter entirely, one not fitting to tell dead men such as yourself" Oliver continued, reaching his hand into the shadows as he felt a familiar tug in his own chest, placing his hand on the item that rose up from them. "Now you'll face my own judgment, but not before I learn more from you."

With that he pulled the item out of the fog, revealing a sword the same size as the blade the boy held yet different in all aspects. In one hand, it looked similar to an ordinary blade, but the hilt itself seemed to emanate darkness as Oliver held it. The blade's metal shined like silver, showing no impurities or cracks on its surface and held a sleak finish straight to the tip. The hilt held the engraving of a wolf moving to strike, its eyes flickering in a red hue that could've been from the light behind the sword. On the pommel was a red gem, the gem itself not even large enough to go past his hand, but enough to where it was bigger than a pebble in itself. Around it was thirteen letters carved into it, swirling slowly on the gem as Oliver pointed the blade at the man.

"I won't talk." The man spoke, his voice quivering as he looked at the blade. Oliver only smirked as he lifted the blade onto his shoulder.

"To normal methods of interrogation, I'm sure that's the case, especially given the look you have." Oliver spoke as his helmet returned over his head, the eyes glowing in the same orange hue through it as the wall of darkness faded from behind the man. "My own form of torture is reserved for those who I find unfit to live in the world, however, and is far worse than you'd expect. So feel free to try and flee, if you can. Or choose a more fitting end and try to regain some of your lost honor by trying to fight me after finding a decent weapon."

The man only looked at Oliver confused, his fear still clearly there before he turned and ran, making Oliver chuckle under his helmet and turn his head to the boy and Susanoo. "Susanoo, take the boy to my own house. You should be able to find it on the same road you had attacked me and the others on." Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze on the behemoth, who only nodded as they picked up the boy before they could interject. "This part of war is unsightly and shouldn't be seen by those as young as you."

With that the Behemoth left, leaving Oliver to go and walk after the beast. _'My lord, Arlus and the others have returned and are wondering what is happening here, and why the feed was cut.'_ came Reginhard as Oliver followed the tracks to the man. Oliver only sighed as he felt Reginhards gaze returned to him, making him look to the shadows he felt it in. _'What should I tell them?'_

"Tell them too fucking bad, because I'm currently having to prepare my mindset for torturing this bastard for information, and I'm sure that they won't like what they see." Oliver responded as he pointed the blade towards one of the tents, the silver blade soon changing black before it fired a beam that scattered into the tent, causing him to hear various cries as he spun the blade around him, cutting through the rest of the tents within a twenty foot radius as the cries grew louder. The beams then vanished as he set his blade back on his shoulder, the tents that he had cut through soon leaning or falling in on themselves, making him sigh as his eyes took a dark red glow. "And don't say those exact words, I doubt they'd expect me swearing like a sailor when I'm serious."

 _'As you wish, my lord.'_ Reginhard responded as Oliver heard a chuckle, feeling the man's presence fade from his vicinity as he continued his path after the commander.


	12. XII

Screams echoed through the camp as the commander ran, his mind going through pure terror as he looked back up to the dragon hovering over the camp, it's gaze seeming to follow him as he continued towards the edge of the camp. _'I wasn't told of some bastard holding magic, and commanding a dragon at that! This is far above my pay grade.'_ The man thought as he turned a corner to find a small exit, it's entrance leading to a small mountain pass that led further out to one of the nearby rivers. As he ran in, however, he soon found a pair of red eyes staring at him, making him stop dead in his tracks as he saw the armored figure appear from the shadows.

"A fine escape route, placed in a tunnel that could give you a proper way out." Oliver spoke as he walked up to the man, his blade seeming to suck in the darkness around him as he raised the weapon towards the man. "A shame it was noticed by one of my pawns."

"What the hell are you-" started the man before Oliver seemed to step forward in an abrupt rate, slashing into the mans side as he continued his stride into a walk that moved out into the camp, making the commander turn as he grasped his side to find a barrage of black flames covering the area. "W-what-"

"Honestly, does every fucking thing I do surprise you by now, after the way I butchered your men and camp?" Oliver asked as he set his blade down to his side, it's metal not even showing a trace of blood on it as he watched the flames. "Though to be honest, this thing is quite a spectacle, and something that's fucking difficult to master. Covers the area, but only burns anything alive, save for seeds and plants. Practiced it with ants twelve years ago, and only mastered it before the war I had fought in nine years ago."

The man only looked at Oliver in pain, hearing the cries of his men echo into the cavern as a sheath rose from Oliver's shadow, his left hand soon grabbing it as he sheathed the blade into it's slot almost perfectly. "…Just who the hell are you, burning through a camp without a care of if there's any more prisoners in it?" The man spoke up, making Oliver turn to him as his helmet vanished, revealing the bearded man.

"Other than the fact that I would've felt the fear within your prisoners, there's also the fact that it wouldn't be the first time my blade was stained with innocent blood." Oliver responded, setting his sheath on his belt as the man pressed his wound. Though Oliver had cut it, he hadn't done any kind of deep cut that would be fatal or crippling to him, though it was obvious that fleeing from this man was clearly out of the question. He could try to fight the armored man, but they had killed an entire squad with ease, along with setting the entire camp ablaze.

As he started to think through his ideas, however, a small black mouse ran past him, soon crawling up Oliver's armor and seeming to meld with it, causing Oliver's gaze to stop glowing red as he looked down at the man. "So there's a boat on a river further down this cave that you people may have arrived on, meaning the location that river starts could be who you worked for, or the place it would sail for." Oliver spoke, raising his hand as the man slowly stood back up, his hand pulling out his dagger as he raised it to his neck.

"I may be a bastard, but I ensure my job's played." The man spoke as he began to move his dagger for his throat. As soon as it made contact, however, he felt an agonizing pain in his side that made him drop the weapon, crying out as Oliver's hand closed into a fist while the pain spread.

"Great, a bastard who actually acts loyal to his fucking benefactors, as if torturing you wouldn't be hard enough." Oliver spoke as he lifted his hand up, the pain in the man's side rapidly spreading all over his body as Oliver walked forward. "My power may be referred to magic by you and various others around the known civilizations, but it controls the darkness around me to whatever I wish it to be while only being fueled by my own ideals, even meaning the shadows cast from the cuts on your body."

"Wh-what is this sorcery." The man stuttered as he gripped his side, making Oliver smirk as his eyes glowed a dark red, one of the mans legs soon seeming to bloat and send shockwaves of pain through him.

"An old trick I was taught by my predecessor, one of the first seven masters of the primordial darkness, that allows me to control the darkness in your body to tear it apart from the inside." Oliver spoke as he twisted his wrist, causing the man to begin screaming from the pain as his fingers began bloating as well, causing a ring on his right hand to start shaking from the size change. Oliver only smirked as he released his hand, causing the bloating to stop and go back down as the man felt his body return to normal, making him look up in fear as Oliver lowered his hand. "With it, I can cause you to feel your entire body ripping apart over and over again, only for it to rebuild itself while you're at an inch of your life, then I repeat the process all over again. But given as I don't bear the same stomach for this kind of torture as my predecessor bore, I'll be keeping it simple."

With that Oliver raised his left pointer finger, making the man's left finger start to swell before black spikes shot out of it, shredding it off of the man's hand and causing him to cry out in agony as Oliver sat back, a black stool rising to meet him as the man clutched his hand as he felt the spikes spinning through it. As the pain subsided, all that remained of his finger was a pile of blood, the stub torn into a gaping wound. The man shook as he felt the pain reside, the wound on his finger closing up immediately as he looked back up at Oliver. He was about to say something to him before the ring on his hand glowed, causing the ring on his right hand to glow red, the glow soon rushing along his arm and into his eyes as Oliver looked down at him.

"...I won't talk." the man spoke, his voice hollow as Oliver looked over to the ring, soon lifting his hand back up and causing the man's right hand to twist in agony as the finger the ring rested on seemed to crumple up, the skin falling limp as the ring held onto it, despite how it continued to shrink.

"So that's what's the cause of it." Oliver spoke as he twisted his hand, causing the black spikes to tear the skin off of the man's finger and cause it to fall off with the ring, making the glow fade from the man's eyes as he screamed in agony. Oliver then reached down and pulled the man up by his shirt, his eyes glowing red as the man looked at him with newfound fear. "Now then, why don't you start talking about who sent you to your death, because I don't want to make this any more gruesome than it should be."

_-Twelve Years ago-_

"What are we doing here?" Oliver asked as he walked beside Alegar, both of which now stood within the confines of an empty Throne room. Despite it having such lush decorations and carpets, the entirety of the room seemed to be desolate of anything. Not even a mouse skittered as Oliver walked beside Alegar to the throne "I'm pretty sure that I was told to learn the foundations of these powers from you."

"Indeed you are, though not before learning of the origins of your powers." Alegar responded as he walked up to the throne, soon turning and sitting down in front of Oliver as he raised his hand, causing a black glass to appear in it. "So then, how far have you used your power?"

"In every means i can manifest it's form and heal myself by." Oliver responded, making Alegar smirk as he moved his glass to his mouth and took a sip, the shadows between the two seeming to crawl around them. "However, I found that there could be even more capabilities if I were given more power."

"As is natural, given the trait you and I draw from." Alegar responded as he set his glass down beside him. Oliver just watched the man as he lifted his other hand, causing seven statues to appeared. "Our power derives itself from two traits, ambition and hope, and as such derives itself from various emotions that direct our path in life. This was how it was agreed when The first seven kings of darkness, including myself, were chosen."

"So there's seven? I thought Myrkr said that there were fifteen." Oliver spoke, making the man smirk as he stood up with his drink, walking down as each of the statues seemed to move as well, now showing more resound features. each figure was a different creature, humanoid in their own aspects, but clearly not human in themselves save for one. The one human of the group, however, wore a helmet that hid his face, like the other six around him. "Were there originally seven to begin with?"

"Seven of darkness, but fifteen Kings of the aspects of creation: seven of the primordial light, seven of primordial darkness, and one to lead that has control of both aspects." Alegar responded as he walked up beside the human statue, his gaze looking up at it. "During the war of Light and Darkness, which you'll eventually learn about, the number was increased to fifteen on all sides due to the balance of all the realms of either light or dark seeming to rattle from the wars. Along with this, the other kings left their mantles and granted them to others they deemed worthy, leaving only me and two others to remain in our deemed holds. Now, only I remain of the first kings of darkness, none remain of the kings of light, and the original leader of us still resides with control over light and dark."

"So what, you want me to take your mantle? Is that why Myrkr picked me out?" Oliver asked, making Alegar smirk as he looked over to the boy, his gaze glowing orange.

"No, I have no intention of losing my title soon, and the process for those of our capabilities are far more strict than the others." Alegar responded, patting Oliver's shoulder as he walked beside him. "Out of the original seven, I was the strongest, and so I've remained even during the times of these new fifteen kings. However, the current kings know nothing of tradition or the natural order and laws of balance within the realms, and have deemed it necessary to try and conquer realms for their own personal reasons, so I required an aid to hold back any forces they may use against the realms I protect."

"Protect?" Oliver simply replied, making Alegar sigh as he walked past him, the statues fading away as he looked to the old man. _'But why would he want to grab a random boy which has nothing to do with it...'_ Oliver thought as he looked at his free hand, his mind slowly processing any options as to why before one fell in place, making his stomach churn. "...Tell me, does that include my realm, and the troubles that have started to act within it?"

"Quite a speculation you have there." Alegar chuckled, though his body remained rigid as Oliver looked over to him. "However, that speculation is close to the mark: The King of Lust, Isier, has set her gaze on your realm."

"Her meaning she's a queen rather than king?" Oliver asked, making Alegar look over to him, his gaze glowing red.

"The titles "Kings of Darkness" is the name humans had given them, and simply deems us the master of the darkness we command." Alegar responded, his voice calm as he signalled Oliver to follow him, both soon heading towards the exit out of the throne room. "It doesn't follow the ideas of male or female titles, in fact the name itself doesn't really matter in the long run once you know the full span of our abilities. However, the fact remains that her sways over some parts of your realm have caused things to move faster than intended for it."

"What does that mean for it, though?" Oliver spoke, his voice now harder as Alegar looked over to him, noticing sparks of a dark red to form in his eyes. "What will become of my home, my city, my ancestor's country?"

"If left alone to try and form it's balancers prematurely, it will fall and change into a dystopia for her to simply sweep up and form into an extra part of her lands." Alegar responded, making Oliver's eyes now turn into a full blood red as they exited, Alegar's gaze soon looking to the city around the castle. "Originally you were supposed to be among several proclaimed heroes in the events that fix the country through both conflict and politics, aiding in what brought it into a new age of peace, allowing it to retain it's power for another thousand years. With how the timeline had been damaged by Isier, however, you would've never gained that chance and would more than likely have died before it all occurred, unable to do anything to stop her or her antics."

"So I would've been unable to even do anything to fix my country if I even tried without these abilities..." Oliver spoke to himself, his gaze on his hand as the two soon stopped beside one of the buildings, the sign showing it to look like a library. He then sighed as he looked up at the man, his gaze confused on it's own. "A hero, though? Quite the ego I'd have gotten then."

"It was a title that the people called you while you denied it, but it was what was required for that timeline." Alegar responded, soon turning to Oliver again as his glowing eyes vanished, revealing a pair of blue eyes that seemed to stare into Oliver's mind. "However, the current situation requires you to become something worthy of your abilities, and it's something that self proclaimed heroes normally scorn."

"And what am I to be if not a hero for my country?" Oliver asked, looking to the man as he saw a smirk under his beard. "Do you expect me to become a tyrant?"

"Not a tyrant. That is one of the many paths that you'll land upon if you veer off of what you must become. A path that many men sought to walk, though few accomplished the goals of one." Alegar responded, opening the library door to reveal a large array of books. "The path that you must walk is one of bloodshed, and is something you will have to learn to be ruthless within while understanding the proper amount of morality that must go with it."

"For the path you must walk above all others in order to save your country, your entire realm..." Alegar continued, walking into the library and turning to Oliver again, his eyes showing a newfound regality that made Oliver straighten self consciously. "Is the path of the conqueror."

_-Present day-_

Oliver walked out of the cavern with the blade sheathed at his side, the flames of the camp still raging as the ebony man walked to him with a glass. "Good to see you, Ksalso, even if it's only a fraction of you." Oliver spoke as he took the drink from the man, who only bowed as Oliver took a sip of it, his tongue feeling the familiar flavor of the honeyed drink as he nodded, shaking his head soon afterward from the after taste bursting through. "The homemade mead I had. Good to see it's tasting great after eight years."

"I had a feeling you'd want something after the last few years of what you've been doing, so I kept it in a place where it would keep its taste within the Dragon's Heart." Ksalso responded as he looked to the cavern Oliver left, now holding a spear with the former commander's head planted upon it, twisted in pain. "How did the interrogation go?"

"Fairly well, all things considered." Oliver responded as he raised his hand, causing the black flames covering the camp to come off and swirl into it as he felt it change into his own power once again. "After five extra minutes of the man begging for his life, I received everything I wanted from him. Apparently he gained his orders from a noble within the city of Orial, where he was one of five leaders of the mercenary group."

"Any ideas on where this city resides?" Ksalso asked, making Oliver sigh as the last flames went into his hand, soon taking another sip of his glass as the ebony figure looked at him confused. "You've been here for over a year and you haven't even decided to go wander through a new world and learn of it's cultures?"

"I know a guy who's been around, didn't see a reason to." Oliver responded as he pulled something off of the belt on his side and held it up, revealing the ring that he had taken off the commander's hand. After he had removed it, the ring seemed to cease glowing as if it lost it's own power, though it was more than likely dormant due to the lack of a wearer. "To be precise, I didn't want to cause myself to harm others by losing control of my emotions on the road, and decided on solitude in order to protect this realm."

"You mean preventing yourself from causing a repeat of what happened to the bordering cities around Berlin." Ksalso said, making Oliver nod as he signalled the man to follow, the two soon moving deeper into the camp as Oliver spun the ring in his hand, flipping it around his fingers like a coin as the man sighed. "I can see the reasoning behind it, but you've gained more control over your abilities than you did before, even Alegar stated such?"

"Even so, the repercussions still remain. I can still see it within the gem on your shoulder." Oliver spoke, nodding to the red gem as it glowed a bright red. He then took a sip of his mead again as Ksalso looked to the gem, his hands clenching into fists as Oliver looked back up to the man's head. "So then, how much longer do you think it will be till their power fully vanishes."

"...If left as they are, another thousand years, possibly one or two more." Ksalso responded, his gaze looking back to the ring that Oliver held. "So then, what's that you have?"

"A ring that kept the man from talking for a moment, though a bit of it's power lasted in him for a few minutes." Oliver responded as he looked to the ring. Oliver then tossed it over to Ksalso, who caught it and looked at the ring's designs as the two walked through the camp. "I'm not one for magical arts given it wasn't around my world at the time, but I remember that you were learning the various forms of magic from Alegar, correct?"

"Indeed, though he had to teach me this ability to separate a part of me in order to show me the full extents of the art from his angle." Ksalso responded as they tapped the ring, causing a red flash from it as Ksalso looked it over. "It's old magic, deriving from the energy of nature and the world around it. As for it's intention, seems like you figured it out the moment you took it off of the man."

"Though it still doesn't widen our preferences, given the lands are filled with nobles." Oliver responded as he lifted his hand, causing a black bird to fly out of it and into the camp, soon turning his gaze back to Ksalso. "Could you be able to track the source of it's power with it?"

"Not with this small of a trinket, and not without knowing the layout of this world's natural magic." Ksalso responded as he tossed the ring back to Oliver, who caught it while they soon entered the area the three dead beasts laid in. "So then, what do you plan to do now that you've caused the annihilation of this camp. Surely you don't expect to return to your life of solitude."

"That all depends on how the Emerial royal family react." Oliver spoke as he walked to the crumpled form of the dead behemoth, looking at it's pelt as he started to smell the blood of the camp, some of the tents his blade had cut through having red stains at the bottom. "Will they allow such a man that can enact such bloodshed to live alone? Will they try to enlist his aid in the hopes of attaining power? Or, will they simply try to erase or banish him from their country, never to return? At the same time, they could simply keep this event quiet and never speak of it, or ignore it like nothing happened. The possibilities of their responses will all depend on the decisions they'll make."

"So you're keeping an open mind." came Ksalso, making Oliver only nod as he tipped his drink up, draining the entire thing as the bird returned, carrying several papers in a transparent black ball as it landed on Ksalso. the entity only chuckled as the sphere moved in front of him, releasing the papers as Ksalso put his hand out and grabbed the papers, soon returning his gaze to Oliver. "So what now?"

"Now, I begin my return to Emerial to give my piece of information I've gained, and you can do whatever you wish till I call for you this evening." Oliver spoke as he rested his arm on his blade, looking to the sun, now beginning to start it's descent to afternoon as the clouds moved away to clear the sky. "Nearly lost my student and regained my abilities, proceeded to butcher an entire camp regardless due to their cause of these events, I'd say it's been a full day so far. Can't wait to see what will transpire next."

"I suppose you'll want to stay within the Dragon's Hearth after you've finished affairs?" Ksalso spoke as he bowed and took the cup, making Oliver nod to him as he felt his beard with his right hand.

"Might as well, been needing to shave and have been missing a real bed for the past year, and don't get me started on how it's been living without plumbing." Oliver spoke as he raised his left hand, causing his armor to fade back to his white shirt and pants, leaving. "Did everything within the Dragon's Hearth prior to my departure come with you?"

"Of course, everything save for some materials used for crafting." Ksalso responded as Oliver gave a low whistle, causing the shadows under him to shoot out and wrap around together into a new form. "Will there be anything else?"

"No, I'll call when I need you." Oliver responded as the shadows finished forming, revealing a black horse around sixteen hands tall of a strong build, holding a saddle and reins already a part of it. Ksalso only bowed as Oliver walked to the horse, soon returning to a black mass and shooting up back into the dragon above before the dragon itself seemed to fade away.

"Sad he never chooses to have a dramatic exit, would be much more fun." Oliver spoke to himself as he pulled himself up on the horse, patting its side before he looked to the forest. Then, with one swift snap of the reins, the horse took off in a blurred speed. In seconds, it reached the start of the forest, and began move along the trail left by the behemoth from there.

-Emerial-

"This is ridiculous." Darius spoke as he stood in front of Reginhard, who simple tapped his staff as Oric sat at the edge of the room with Serphia. Neither of them had returned yet, and left "First your master, who has lived up to this point as a hunter, says to keep some magical view of their fight to show us, and now you're saying he said otherwise?"

"He may be a man who holds power, but his decisions sway around like an ocean to those who do not know him." Reginhard responded as he tapped the staff on the ground, causing it's form to ripple. "If I were to explain his thought process now, it would give you too much information on him. I will say, however, that he managed so many victories because of his actions, forcing his opponents into confusion and an eventual surrender."

"He also showed no mercy to his enemies, and dealt what he believed proper judgement on them of his own fashion." Oric spoke, his gaze on the staff as it's ripples slowly faded away. "If he's no longer allowing a view of it, then he's probably butchering the entire camp in a fashion fit for what he believes as scum."

"But do we know where he's at?" Arlus asked, making the group look to him as he entered the room. Elia entered soon behind him, her face grim as she looked over to Serphia, soon looking back to the old man as she moved towards the chair closest to the girl. "I've had quite a discussion with the war council and leaders, so I'd like to at least know a location we can move towards to prove the area in general."

"A valley to the south of here, right at the end of the forest." Reginhard responded, making Arlus look at him confused as Reginhard closed his eyes. "Right now he's interrogated the leader of the camp for information, and the camp itself is a pile of corpses. You'll want a few men that have strong stomachs over there, otherwise you'll have more to clean up while looking for information."

"You're openly telling us the location?" Arlus asked as he entered, looking at Reginhard confused as Elia looked, his gaze unwavering as he sat in a chair directly across from Reginhard.

"It is your country, and it's not like you'll be there before Oliver's gone." Reginhard spoke as Arlus looked to Darius and nodded, making the general move out of the room muttering, soon returning his gaze to the old man. "He'll tell you the information he has learn anyway since it would bring trouble to your own country otherwise, and to ensure that his actions don't bring him consequences of their own."

"Why would they bring him consequences?" Serphia asked as she looked over, making Reginhard only smirk as he leaned back in his chair with his staff fading into the shadows.

"He doesn't know if there is a chivalric code to the wars here, and as such his actions could be considered similar to a massacre." Reginhard responded as Oric looked over to the man, soon standing up as he turned for the door.

"Well then, I guess I'll go and close up the tavern early since the party's ended." Oric spoke as he walked off, Arlus only keeping his gaze on Reginhard as he sat down in a chair across from the man.

"What was the decision of the council with your father and his men?" Reginhard asked, making Elia look over to him as the man kept his gaze on Arlus. "Surely there's some that involves my master."

"That will be saved for when he arrives, since you haven't exactly given us any information besides bits of his past." Arlus responded, making Reginhard smirk. "If you are keen on keeping information about the man elusive, then so shall I with my own decisions till his arrival."

"Very well then, he's moving back to his own home anyway." Reginhard responded as he looked down into his shadow, it's etchings stretching and showing the location of Oliver's house. In front of it slept the silver behemoth, the boy it had carried laying beside him with his eyes closed. "In the meantime, it looks like company has arrived and I'll need to head out."

With that Reginhard started to walk out, his gaze overlooking the group as he stopped at the entryway. "Before I move, however, I need to ask what the decision was on the boy and the behemoth." Reginhard spoke, looking to the prince as their face kept straight. "Surely that's something that doesn't need to be hidden."

"The council agreed that the boy bears no harm and was only used as a tool, therefore he has no crimes placed upon him." Arlus spoke, raising his left hand and setting on his head, the other resting on his hip as he sighed, closing his eyes as Reginhard turned his gaze back to the exit. "The behemoth, on the other hand, must be hunted so that it can't be used to harm our country again in the form of a weapon. Apparently they wish it's coat as a proof of the kill, as idiotic as it sounds."

"I see... and I suppose you'll probably want Oliver to do so since he caused the creature to retreat before he had reached the camp." Reginhard concluded, not even looking at Arlus to understand the man's thoughts. _'The generals in the council probably want to turn it's coat into some form of cloak or defense, but This man sounds like he genuinely disapproves of that kind of idea.'_ Reginhard thought as he walked out the exit, a smile forming on his lips as he tilted his head towards the room. "I'll make sure he gets the message. In the meantime, you should find out how a camp made it so close to your city."

"Very well." Arlus responded as Reginhard turned and left, vanishing into darkness outside of everyone's sight as he looked to Serphia and Elia. "So then, how are your injuries?"

"Other than a sore arm and body, I feel fine." Serphia spoke as she turned out of the bed, picking herself up as Elia stood up as well, testing her arm as she remembered what Oliver had done before. Like he had said, it still held a good deal of pain, but it didn't have the same spiking pain it had when she had broke it. She then looked up to the prince, her eyes now focused on another matter. "I do need to know, however; why is it that the Behemoth attacked us there? Or, for that matter, why it was made to attack the road leading to here in the first place?"

"A good question, one I hope to have an answer for along with another question." Arlus responded, looking over to Elia. "In the meantime, you should be asking your superior for permission to ask, if I remember the order of how my sister runs things."

"This will be an exception, since it's something I want to know as well." Elia responded, soon signalling her brother to follow her before she turned to Serphia. "In the meantime, wait for the medic to get a proper look at you now. They should be done with the mix they were making and it would be a shame for it to spoil after the work."

"Yes mam." Serphia responded, Elia soon turning and leaving with Arlus in tow. As they left the room, she looked over to the prince with her own confusion.

"So then, if mercenaries were using that beast then they were doing it for a reason, correct?" Elia asked, making Arlus nod as he raised his hand to stroke his light beard. "Any ideas on why they decided to?"

"I would say to cut supplies, but the beast has openly attacked villagers as well when they go that far, and there would've been no reason to attack that group of soldiers known to anyone outside of a certain few people." Arlus spoke as the two took a turn, Elia's gaze only keeping to the front of them as the two exited the medical wing. "A few of those city guards sent out were actually those of the royal guards, each sent to find any indication of possible attack."

"I'm guessing they weren't among the two men who came back?" Elia asked, the silence that soon followed confirming her own thoughts. The two soon reached the entryway to the barracks as Elia continued. "You said that not many would have a knowledge on why those people were attacked. I'm guessing you know why?"

"Each time there has been an attack, it's either been to a noble of our country or any contacts to my spy network." Arlus responded, his gaze looking up to the sky as four guards seemed to move in and around the two royals. Elia just looked at him, a small bit of anger escaping her gaze as Arlus sighed. "This last group I made here was in the hopes of dealing with the problem, make no assumption I was planning on killing them off. I was only told of a normal behemoth. The fact that the silver behemoth was what arrived means that something must've gone wrong with the information."

"I thought that the group was a known expedition." Elia spoke, making Arlus nod as the two made their way towards the castle gates. "Was there something you didn't tell anyone?"

"The location that we had planned for them to head to was Oliver's shack in hopes to get him to aid in it, which was only known by your soldier, us two, and four others, three of which were within the group that were killed." Arlus responded as his gaze overlooked the gates, the soldiers in the front standing at attention as they noticed the prince and princess approaching. "I'm planning to head over to interrogate the man who also knew of the plan, if you're interested in assisting."

"I'd very much like to, given his actions cost us the lives of good troops." Elia responded, her gaze moving to the castle as well. "Are you certain that it would've been this third person, though?"

"Positive, given the reports that my agents have been giving on his behavior as of late." Arlus responded, his left arm resting on the hilt of his blade, the weapon itself only being a decorative sword. He then smirked as the guards opened the gates, revealing the entrance to the castle. "Let's go find out the truth."


	13. XIII

The war room sat silent as Arlus and Elia entered it, the generals and councilors who had sat among it's seats now either gone or packing up. Among the seats only three men remained, one of them bearing blond hair and an almost neatly trimmed beard. Arlus only sighed as he walked up to the man. _'Adrius Orius, best known as the diplomatic envoy to the eastern kingdom.'_ Arlus had spoken to Elia earlier while they were walking along the castle halls, informing her of the current situation. _'Normally holding good relations with the eastern lands along with a knowledge on their actions, he's begun to sneak out of his own home and into taverns directly, as if not even trusting his own staff on something. If anyone's a likely suspect, it will be him.'_

Arlus then stopped directly beside the man, noticing a small amount of sweat beginning to form on their brow. "Hello, Orius. Stressed from the current events?" Arlus spoke, making the man jump as he sat down beside him. The man only looked at Arlus in shock as the prince's gaze pierced through him, making the man shudder as he looked back to the table.

"Y-yes, my lord, just a bit flustered over the fact that there was a mercenary camp near the city that had been taking villagers." Orius responded as Elia moved behind him, the man not even noticing as he kept his gaze on the prince. "To think that they had a boy controlling such a creature."

"Indeed, it's not something you see everyday." Arlus spoke as he looked to the papers in front of the man. Envelopes that he was pushing before the attack that came from the eastern kingdom, requesting trade rights with their slavers. Arlus then smirked as Orius began to stand up in haste. "So tell me, how did you know they had kidnapped villagers when all we've found are attack sites where villagers are butchered?"

To this Orius stopped mid-rise, his gaze not changing as Elia drew her blade, resting it on the man's neck. "If what Arlus hints at is true, then you have a lot of lives to answer for." Elia spoke as she nodded to the guards, the other two generals sitting in the area looking over in confusion as the guards who watched the entrance moved in to grab the man. Orius himself was at a loss for words as his hands shook, two guards immediately grabbing his shoulders and moving him to the entryway, where the guards who followed Arlus and Elia were waiting.

"Now all that remains is any proof that could be at the camp, if that hunter hasn't already grabbed it." Arlus spoke as he leaned back in his chair, the two generals who were sitting there as well only looking at Arlus in shock.

"You just arrested a diplomat that has the only good relations to Dalce that we have." Spoke one of the generals, a pale man who was slightly larger than Arlus, but nowhere near the height of Darius. Arlus just looked to the man with a calm gaze, his head going through the man's name and rank.

' _Urius, second hand to the master of strategy, and formerly a general under Elia's master.'_ Arlus thought as he leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table as he looked to the man. "We never had good relationships with Dalce to begin with since their king overthrew and massacred the parents and families of the previous monarchy, General." Arlus responded as he kept his gaze on the man, his own head going through the past relations with the country. "We've had constant attacks on our borders from them, and every time they've agreed to stop they've gone and broken their agreements. They've even forced the subjugation of the northeastern kingdom and have constantly attempted to invade the far north, which we are allied to if I must remind you. This very act may well be their own attempt to weaken us, meaning the idea of an invasion being prepared."

"Something that normally takes far more than just a simple mercenary camp to set up." Responded the second man, a frailer man who had white lines already over their hair, along with a beard that settled right to his chest. Arlus only looked to the man in silence as he went through their info in his head again: Indras, an old man who was tossed into the army by his family at a young age, being stripped of his royal name and rank, rising up to the position of the Eastern General. His strategy and tactics are all that held the eastern kingdom from actually taking any territory, and he always kept his mind open for different possibilities, even granting him the option to be reinstated in his family's nobility. "If the idea you claim is correct, then you'll still need more evidence over Orius. It'll also mean that I'll have to thin out some of the bordering patrols to find any other camps like it."

"That all depends on what they may find at the camp." Arlus responded as he looked to the door, hearing the voices sounding around there as Elia stood beside him, her blade now sheathed. As the other two men looked to it, the doors opened as Oliver entered, his uniform itself seeming cleaner than when he had made it to the camp as his blade hung by his side. His gaze, however, seemed more serious than Arlus had expected.

"Well now, first I get permission to enter the castle by the guards and now I see a guy being hauled away by guards? If I didn't know any better I'd say something's going down." Oliver joked as he walked up to the table, Elia and the two generals looking at him in confusion, Arlus's own gaze observed the man as Oliver walked up and set his hands down on the table, leaning forward to the point that the gem on the hilt of his sword almost tapped the edge. "Did I interrupt something important? If so, I can come back later, would give Ksalso more time to decrypt those papers I found as well as time for me to get myself better suited for my meeting with you lot."

"Who's Ksalso?" was Elia's reply as she looked at Oliver confused, both her and Arlus surprised by his appearance. Arlus, on the other hand, had a small grin as he saw Oliver. "More importantly, how did you get here so fast?"

"I rode a horse, one of the fastest ways of travel in this day and age." Oliver responded with a smile, seeing the confused look among the other two generals faces as he finally set his gaze on Elia, seeing her surprise still clear along with annoyance of the answer. "Look, if I revealed all my secrets then I'd lose all the fun of confusing and shocking you people. As for Ksalso, they're one of my strongest assets and among my closest friends, as well as the greatest war machine I've ever created. Would've brought him, too, but that would've caused people running away in a panic because of his presence."

"More importantly, you said that he's decrypting papers you found at the camp?" Arlus responded, making Oliver nod as his gaze rested on the man. Arlus then looked to the hilt of Oliver's blade, noticing the red gem with the circling runes as he pondered through the possibilities. "You're sure they were encrypted instead of just being something you couldn't read?"

"As sure as I am that I left the head of the commander of that camp on a pole." Oliver responded, making the entire group look at him in shock. Oliver just sighed as he stood up, his features changing from their carefree look to that of a more tempered form, his gaze seeming to shake the generals and Elia as Arlus sat there un-phased. "If it was of another language, I could've read it regardless given my own training had me learn close to every dialect, save for a certain few. However, it's markings and the way it was processed through were those of a clear encryption, so I decided I would have a go at decrypting it without the catalyst."

' _Though in truth it's because the darkness doesn't translate anything that is of an encryption outside of the actual word meanings, forcing me to actually learn the patterns of the encryption itself.'_ Oliver thought as he raised his hand to his beard, stroking it as he felt it reach to his neck. _'I should probably shave after this, given I'm going to have to look more formal here on out since my powers have returned…'_

"In the meantime, however, I heard something interesting from Reginhard." Oliver spoke as he looked to the prince again, the presence he let out now fading as the generals breathed in, not even realizing the fact they were holding it to begin with. "He said your meeting had apparently decided on what to do with the boy and his behemoth."

"Indeed we did, though you may not like the results of the meeting." Arlus spoke, his voice unchanged as he felt the tension coming from Oliver. "The war council decided that the boy shall be pardoned, given he was a prisoner for their own designs, but that the beast must be killed."

"And you think that's just?" Oliver asked, his voice annoyed as he turned and started walking around the table, his pacing immediately stopped as one of the guards stood in his way. Oliver just sighed as he started stepping back, taking a few steps before he stopped beside a chair, his gaze hard as he looked at the group. "More importantly, do you think that's the most strategic thing you have? Because if so, then it's one of the stupidest ideas in here."

"And you have something better?" Elia asked, her voice harsh as she looked at Oliver with an angered look. He understood why, he was defending a creature that had killed her soldiers and was butting his nose into direct orders of this very room; something he'd guess was to be considered absolute law. "The beast has just killed some of our best soldiers, all of which were unable to damage it. Along with this, it either killed or captured traders and villagers for those men to either interrogate or enslave and seems to be loyal to only itself."

"All of which it came out unscathed, as you so generously mentioned, unable to be touched by the weapons any of your soldiers bore, while only doing what it had to in order to ensure the boy's safety against those mercenaries." Oliver spoke, pulling out the chair beside him as he sat down in it, kicking his feet onto the table as the guard who had stopped him kept firm in his place. "To the untrained eye it may seem disloyal, but it is in truth only loyal to the boy it fought for."

"You speak of it as if it's a person." Arlus responded, his voice stern and causing the group to look at him confused. "Regardless of it's reasons for doing so, it is still a beast that has killed our people, we cannot allow it to walk away free of it's crimes."

"Nor am I asking you to, only to deal a different punishment that I can aid in." Oliver responded as he looked to the man, now making Arlus raise his eyebrows. "If you'd be so kind, I cannot say it around such a crowd."

"…Very well." Arlus spoke, waving his hand and causing the soldiers to begin to move. The generals also stood up, moving out of the area as Elia remained in her spot beside the prince, making Oliver only smirk as the soldier who had originally blocked him moved past him. After a few seconds, the sounds of footsteps were replaced with the slamming of the entrance of the war room, leaving Oliver alone with the two royals. "I've given you the trust that you won't slit our throats in here, so you better have an option that can explain your current actions."

"Of course, though in all honesty you would've been dead if I wanted you to be, along with this entire castle." Oliver spoke, soon standing up as he raised his right hand, a black orb rising from it and floating over into the middle of the table. "There's an old ability with the darkness that was originally used by Myrkr during the war, granting those who had done crimes in order to aid or protect others a second chance at life. It's an ability used by masters of the art, and very few are actually able to use it because of the amount of power it requires. For me, however, it's as simple as child's play."

"And what exactly is this ability that gives others a second chance at life?" Arlus asked, making Oliver smirk as he closed his hand, causing the orb to change into a hourglass filled with sand, the sand itself already at the bottom.

"The ability I speak of, my prince." Oliver spoke, twisting his hand as the hourglass turned upside down, allowing the sand to slowly pour again. "…Is one that can allow not only the beast a second chance, but a chance for you to gain a valuable asset in the later game of the coming war."

"And what makes you think this will lead to a war?" Elia asked, making Oliver look at her smirking.

"A mercenary camp so close to the capital that it ended up capturing civilians to torture and kill, for one." Oliver spoke as he looked to Elia, who then closed her mouth as she looked at his gaze. "Their main mission was to stay there at the camp, but they obviously had changed it from what some of the letters may reveal."

"So you know that they're mercenaries?" Arlus responded, his own gaze analyzing Oliver, leaning back into his chair as Oliver nodded.

"Mercenaries that were given their job from a noble in Orlas, wherever that is." Oliver responded, his gaze now on the table as he placed his palm on the surface of it. Though it was a dark grey and seemed to be completely one thing save for a few cracks, the table itself felt as if it was a form of wood. Oliver then lifted his hand, causing the darkness under it to rise into a small enclosure that looked almost identical to the camp he had been in. "Before I killed their commander, I probed him for information and learned that he was given a ring to ensure his silence along with his cooperation. Some form of magic, believe it or not."

"You said their job came from someone in Orlas?" Arlus asked, Oliver only nodding as he twirled his hand around the small camp, causing it to change into a small lizard with wings, a faint red glow coming out of it's eyes as it moved past him and walked around the table, catching the eyes of Elia and Arlus as Oliver smiled while leaning back. "Do you still have the ring?"

"Yup, right here." Oliver spoke as he unbuttoned his left sleeve and shook it, causing the ring to roll out of it and onto the table. The other two just looked at it confused as Oliver smirked, the small lizard walking around the area soon noticing it and trotting over, picking up the ring with it's mouth as it turned to Arlus. "What, did you expect me to put it in my pocket and risk putting it on?"

"Wouldn't it have been safer to put it in a bag?" Elia questioned as the lizard flapped it's wings soon flying over to Arlus as it dropped the ring directly in front of him, allowing him to get a better look at it as he picked it up.

"Maybe, but I didn't really have one on me at the time, as you may notice." Oliver spoke as he stood up, patting his sides as he made the statement. He then sat down again with a quick look over of the pockets covering his shirt and pants "Mind you I have a few pockets, but there'd still be the risk of putting it on while I'm pulling it out. The last thing I need is to be taken control of, would really kill the mood of victory I have."

"You said you took this ring from the commander of those mercenaries?" Arlus spoke as he looked the ring over, Oliver only nodding as he set it down. "There's tales of the far eastern countries, past the plains, using rings such as these, all tied to a single ring that forces them under the will of the person who wears it."

"Talk about one ring to rule them all..." Oliver muttered as he looked at the ring in the prince's hand. He then saw Arlus and Elia look at him confused, making him sigh as he leaned back. The winged lizard he had made simply flapped it's wings a bit before it started to fly around the table, looking over the seats as it flew circles around each. "It's from the start of a book that I read a few years back, would gladly lend it to you if I had any in your native tongue."

"Regardless of what it reminds you of, this type of magic has been known to be used by the Eastern kingdom of Dalce in order to keep some of their slaves in check." Arlus spoke as he set the ring down, the lizard soon flying over and picking it up as Oliver's hands twitched at the sentence. The lizard then continued it's flight circle as its eyes glowed even more, a red tint seeming to cover the ring as Elia watched the creature circle the tables. "From what we know of these rings, they can't be removed by normal methods. How did you manage to take it off and preserve it's form while interrogating the man?"

"Trust me, it's better you not know." Oliver responded as the lizard soon flew beside Elia, dropping the ring in front of her as it turned and flew to the center of the table, it's entire body seeming to shake as Oliver looked at it smirking. "And here's some news I was hoping to hear soon."

" **My Lord, I have just broken the code of the first letter, but it seems that each are made in separate codes."** Came the lizard as it landed at the center of the room, causing the prince and princess to look at the creature in utter shock as it's gaze looked to Oliver. **"I'm now currently decoding the parts I can while working on the remaining codes, but it looks to be from someone within this city."**

"So that's why the guy was being taken by the guards." Oliver spoke as he looked to Arlus, who kept his gaze on the creature sitting on the table in confusion, Elia herself just circling it while holding her hand on her blade. "So, how long until you finish breaking all the codes on it?"

" **From now, around four to six hours, but you may want to give this to the prince over there once the letters are done. From what I've read through so far, the speculation doesn't look good."** The creature replied, soon walking over to Oliver and resting it's head on the back of his hand. With that, the creature faded back to darkness, rolling into Oliver's hand as Elia and Arlus kept their gaze on where it once rested. As it did so, the ring in front of them cracked and rusted, the red tint seeming to embed itself deep in it and cause a faint green smoke to flow out of it.

"What was that?" Elia asked, her gaze now resting on Oliver as she released the grip on her blade. Oliver only smirked as he raised his hand, a black orb coming out of it again that soon took the form of a dragon head.

"That, my princess, was Ksalso, or at least his voice relaying the message to me." Oliver spoke, clear pride in his eyes as the dragon head slowly spun in his hand. "Keeper and Pilot of the Dragon's Heart, the greatest base of operations and mobile fortress I had made before my country's civil war. He's also among the strongest of my allies during the war, having been taught by one of the greatest strategic minds of our time."

"Wait, a mobile fortress?" Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he looked at her. "No such thing exists outside of ships. Are you telling me you commanded a ship the size of a fortress?"

"In a sense, though it's more command since I never lost my control over it." Oliver replied as he closed his hand around the dragon head, causing it to shatter into small bits of darkness that faded away through the lighting of the flames around them. His gaze then set on Arlus, his own mind still stuck to one matter. "The fact that even he's saying the situation doesn't look good from a mere rough draft, however, means that there's some serious shit going down, mind my language, and it's all the more reason to have both the boy and Susanoo in your pocket when the time comes."

"...I'm guessing Susanoo is the behemoth we saw?" Arlus asked, making Oliver only nod as he set his hand down, the rust on the ring now being encased with darkness as Elia kept her gaze on it. "And how do you purpose we deal with it's crimes?"

"Quite simple, really." Oliver responded as he leaned forward, a red glow coming out of his eyes as the darkness surrounding the ring released, revealing it good as new. "We reset it's time."

_-Oliver's house, two hours later-_

Susanoo laid outside of the house as Isao sat in the center of the creatures mass, the boy resting on the behemoth's stomach while eating some food that had been cooked before they had even got there. Reginhard, who had come there shortly after their arrival, had offered them the food while they waited, his own gaze clouded over by the darkness he had come out of while Isao looked over to him. "So how much longer will it be till he returns?" the boy asked, looking to Reginhard as the behemoth shifted a bit, getting more comfortable as the old figure turned to the boy.

"It shouldn't be too long, he's just finished talking to his student and should be on his way back." Reginhard spoke as his gaze cleared, looking to the shadows of the trees covering the path to the road. "From what it looked like, she didn't seem too happy."

"Of course she didn't, he's thinking of sparing the creature that killed men she had fought alongside." came a voice, making Reginhard turn to see Eanor come up from the shadows of the patio, soon walking over to one of the chairs and sitting down in it as he looked at Reginhard. "Knowing how I used to be, however, he's indefinitely going to decide to take all that anger she has against the beast on himself. By the way, it's good to see you after so long Reginhard."

"Something has come up, I'll leave you two to waiting for him." Reginhard spoke as the boy kept his gaze on the path, oblivious to the presence of Eanor as the Behemoth's fur slightly puffed out, sensing the man behind them yet not his exact location. Reginhard then turned to Eanor and walked up, a puff of darkness falling off of him as he took each step up to the patio, soon standing directly in front of the warrior. "I'm guessing you're the fragment that Oliver had spoke of?"

"The very same, and you can call me Eanor." Eanor responded, waving his hand to the other seat before Reginhard walked to it and sat down. With that, Eanor's gaze returned to the forest across from the two, a sigh escaping him as he leaned on one of his hands. "You know, I really had a terrible time accepting those losses that happened during the war, took me ten years to start accepting the fact that I couldn't have done anything with the experience I had at the time."

"Hopefully it won't be as long for Oliver, given the ordeal he's going to go through if he keeps to this path." Reginhard responded, making Eanor look to him with an annoyed glare. "He's done a lot in his life, but to think he'd go straight back into a fight that could cause him to choose a side after only a year of consciousness, after living a life of peace."

"What, you think that he's going to regret it?" Eanor asked, looking at Reginhard as the old man turned his gaze to him, confused. "Sure, he may have said that he wanted to live a life of peace, but don't think he even believed that peace would last. After all, both him and I were a kid who looked at the state of our country at the time before we even met Myrkr and went 'Why is it that all this is happening, yet I can't do anything to change it, anything to stop this country from falling completely?' He's always had that notion to deal with bastards that are harming the innocent for their own personal gains, it's just that his methods are far from those of the caped heroes we always read about, despite the little bonus of our abilities."

"...Indeed, he did hold that ideology before he even made the agreement with Myrkr." Reginhard spoke, looking over to the boy, who had finished his food and was now resting on the Behemoth, slowly falling asleep despite all that had recently transpired around him. "Speaking of, what did make you believe that?"

"Honestly, who knows?" Eanor spoke as he rested his head back on the chair, looking up at the hole in the ceiling. Reginhards gaze then turned to him, analyzing the warrior as they reached their hand up towards the hole. "I first took up that mindset when I was just eleven while listening to my father talking to one of his friends about the sorry state the country had become, and decided then and there. Sure, I didn't know what could be changed at the time, nor did I know how bad it actually was and how I was going to do it. It just felt like an idea that sort of completed me, like it called to me in a way that I never felt before... Oliver doesn't feel that same tug at the moment, though. That tug vanished for him the moment the war had ended and he finished the reform of the country with the aid of Eric, something that took me a decade to feel again when I saw the city my current life was raised in being attacked."

"Hopefully it will be sooner than that, from how he's heading." Reginhard responded, picking himself up as he walked over to the edge of the patio. "He may have all that experience from the previous war under him, but he's still in the early parts of his life. It's worrying me that he may end up causing more problems for both himself and the world if he veers onto the wrong path..."

"I see..." Eanor spoke, his right hand moving to a pouch on his side that seemed fairly large for anything other than carrying items. "If you're so worried over not knowing what may happen in his future, I could help in finding out which direction it will take him."

"What do you mean by that?" Reginhard asked, clearly confused as Eanor put his hand inside of the pouch, soon pulling out a small velvet bag. Reginhard's gaze remained confused until Eanor loosened the straps of the bag and put his hand in, soon pulling out a smooth white disk not even bigger than his thumb, upon it being an black upward arrow, allowing Reginhard a moment to realize what it was. "...You plan to give a rune reading of his current fate? Something that focuses on the fates of those tied to the world tree of the realm they reside in? That's impossible to accomplish with those, even for you."

"It is indeed impossible most of the time, at least under normal circumstances." Eanor responded as he placed the rune back inside of the bag soon reaching in his pouch again and pulling out a small folded cloth. Eanor then stood up and moved to sitting on the ground, shaking the folded cloth out before placing it upon the wooden floor, revealing it to be a fairly large cloth square as he placed the bag down to the right of him, soon looking up at Reginhard with a smirk again. "I made these runes from a few petrified roots of Yggdrasil during my travels, carving each rune by concentrating the primordial darkness into each for three years, using my own spirit as the focal point. My actions ended up turning these runes into one of the only sets that are tied to the fates of those who control the primordial darkness, from what I was told by Odin, and can therefore tell the fate intertwined with the Primordial Darkness itself in order to see what direction fate takes."

Reginhard just stared at the Eanor, processing what the man had spoken. _'Runes intertwined with darkness... that's something I've never even heard of from Alegar.'_ Reginhard thought as he sat down in front of Eanor, who now had his left hand sitting inside the bag, as if knowing what Reginhard would say next. "Fine, I'll entertain your idea." Reginhard spoke as he saw a smile appear on Eanor's face, making the old man sigh as he heard the clicking of the runes. "So how do you enact them?"

"Well I decide on what style I use first by concentrating upon the runes themselves, allowing myself to feel their power and pick the ones that resonate strongest." Eanor spoke as he closed his eyes, causing Reginhard to look at him confused. However, the next moment Reginhard felt an eerie calmness coming off of the man, something even the Behemoth felt as it looked behind to where they were at, a low growl coming off of it. At the same time, a sort of power seemed to come off of Eanors hand as it moved through the runes, soon picking one out of the group and looking at it to find it as a rune that seemed to only be a straight line, before setting it back and shuffling through them again. When he pulled a second one out, this one without any marks upon it, he took a quick look and placed it back in, however the power coming off of his hand seemed to grow even more, allowing his hand to move almost fluidly through the runes again before he pulled another out once more, raising the rune in his gaze and smiling as he showed it to Reginhard. "And it seems like we're going to have to look further in by using the three rune spread, given you'll probably not like the answer."

"An upside down M decided that?" Reginhard asked as he looked at the rune in front of him, the way it was drawn clearly looking like an upside-down M, though his sight soon shifted the letter to it's meaning in the actual tongue. "...Ehwaz? An E?"

"The rune of Movement. In rune reading, it means that movement has been blocked when it is upside down, which could signify how he is currently being pushed from his life of peace and is seeming to be dragged into the political affairs of this world, as well as the eventual conflicts if they continue." Eanor as he put the rune back into the bag, looking back to Reginhard as the man stared at him as if expecting more of an explanation. "To move past this block, he will have to realize that not all possibilities are open to him as of this moment, which could also mean that he won't be able to live as a hermit anymore, at least until all the current problems are said and done. He'd be punching himself too much otherwise."

"So it's something that I've already summarized, and is basic common sense..." Reginhard spoke, sighing as the calm he felt from Eanor didn't even weaken after the reading. "So what is the three rune spread?"

"It's something that gives a bit more of a detailed answer, there are three runes pulled to explain past events, the current challenge, and what must be accomplished for it to happen." Eanor spoke as he placed his hand in the bag, shuffling through them as he began to hum a small tune to himself, soon picking up a rune and setting it down on the right side of the cloth; an oddly shaped H. He then placed his hand back in the bag, shuffling through it again before he pulled another rune out: This time it was an R, which he set in the center of the cloth. As he moved his hand to the bag again, his humming stopped as he closed his eyes, the feeling of power seeming to grow around him as Reginhard looked at the man in anticipation. Eanor then pulled out the final rune and set it on his left side: two triangles meeting together to form an hourglass, sitting on its side. Eanor then opened his eyes, causing Reginhard to feel as if a cold air blew over him despite his current form, Eanors hand soon pointing to the rune to the right. "The rune Hagallaz, the Rune of Disruption, Elemental Power, and Hail. This rune is his recent past: he has gone through a great change that acted as a great awakening to his senses, bringing him to accept these disruptions in his being by growing to be beyond them."

Eanor then moved his hand to the second rune, which sat directly in the center of the cloth as he stared into it, as if reading the styling. "Raido: the Rune of Journey, Communication, Union, and Reunion. Another rune of the Cycle of Initiation, this rune's placement represents the challenge, or the future if you will. This rune symbolizes a time of self-healing, self change and union. This union cannot be forced nor can it be directed, it must occur gradually." Eanor then raised his hand to the third rune, the sideways hourglass as he placed his hand on top of it. "Dagaz, the rune of Breakthrough, Transformation, and Day. It represents transformation, one so radical that it will put them in a complete turn on their life to the point that they cannot live it in the ordinary way any longer. This rune's placement means that it is the required action to overcome the challenge of Raido. As it is a rune that belongs to the Cycle of Initiation, along with both Raido and Hagallaz, it means that his fate will be all the more endearing, that there will be just as many difficulties. As Hagallaz and Raido are side by side in the cycle, it could also mean that he is currently undergoing the current stages of the Trials of Initiation, the change itself possibly being triggered from the point of his arrival."

"This is, however, speculation from what I know of the meanings behind each rune." Eanor spoke as he picked up the runes from the cloth, the calm that Reginhard felt seeming to fade as each rune went back in the bag. "The runes simply speak of how fate will be, never what it is. So if you want Oliver to know about the reading and find out for himself, or watch his path go remarkably similar to what the runes have said, then that's up to you."

Eanor then picked up the cloth, his body beginning to fade as both him and Reginhard felt something heading their way. "Seems he's arriving now, so you might as well decide in the moment." Eanor spoke as he placed the cloth and rune bag in his pouch, soon vanishing completely as Reginhard stood up, his gaze turning to the pathway that led to the house. As he did so, he felt Oliver's presence pop up at the moment, but along with another that made Reginhard's gaze harden as the two came out from the trees. Oliver had stepped out from under them first, stretching as he did so, while at the same time the sound of hooves came from behind him as Elia came out on horseback, causing Susanoo to look at the two with hard eyes as they approached.

"I told you it would be easier traveling here through darkness, albeit a bit of a problem for your stomach during the first go." Oliver spoke as he looked over to the Elia, her gaze set on the behemoth and the boy as they continued towards the house. He then smiled as he noticed the boy and behemoth, soon raising his hand up to them. "Hey, we worked something out for you guys."

The boy was still trying to figure out what was going on as the Behemoth rose, causing him to stand up as he looked around. Oliver only smirked as he stopped a few yards away from the two, looking back at Elia as she got off her horse and led it to the house. At the same time, Reginhard decided it was best to reappear as he walked down from the steps of the house, his staff once again tapping on the stone as it appeared in his hand. "So I can be able to go home?" the boy spoke, his voice actually in shock as his mind was still registering what was said, Reginhard only sighing as he thought through the possibilities that Oliver had to agree to in order for this to occur.

"Don't get your hopes up too much, there's always a price for things like this, especially when dead soldiers and villagers were on the line." Reginhard spoke, making the boy jump as he looked over to Reginhard, Elia herself releasing the reigns of her horse and moving her hand to her blade. The Behemoth and the horse, on the other hand, paid no mind to him and acted as if he was there the entire time, making Oliver chuckle as he looked to the old man. "So what did they agree to? Surely they didn't want something like the Behemoth running wild."

"They certainly don't, but I gave them an offer that she's here to witness." Oliver spoke as he motioned his hand to Elia, who had moved her hands back to the reigns and walked to the horse post beside the house. He then sighed before he placed his hand on Erebus, soon drawing the blade as the area seemed to brighten, the darkness around seeming to try and drag itself towards the blade as Oliver held it up, looking at the design. "I agreed to use a certain ability to ensure the behemoth doesn't do any more damage, one that I've not had to use since the starting months of the war."

The boy's face then turn rigid as the behemoth walked up to Oliver, looking down at the man with hardened eyes as Oliver looked up with a smirk, the two seeming to have a personal conversation as the blade of the sword began to glow a light purple. "What are you planning to do to him?" the boy asked, his voice now in fear as Susanoo's gaze kept on Oliver's, the two seeming to be like statues as the boy looked to the beast. "Susanoo?"

"Right now the two are communicating through a different means." Reginhard spoke as Elia walked to the two, making the boy look up at the man as the glow on Oliver's blade grew brighter. "Though animals are believed to not have evolved as well as we have, they still have a form of communication that most humans can't understand or hear, much less communicate in."

"Yet Oliver can speak with the beast in that form of communication?" Elia asked as she looked to Reginhard, who simply nodded as he looked at the two intently. "What are they even saying?"

Reginhard just smirked at the question from her. Not a question as to where he learned it, or why he could possibly need to use it, but what the two were talking about. _'A far better learner than what I got from her actions in her duel with Oliver...'_ Reginhard thought as he kept his gaze Oliver and Susanoo. "Currently, he's having the beast explain why it goes so far for Isao, the boy beside us, which they heard them be called by their father." Reginhard spoke as he looked down to the boy, who just looked at Susanoo with worry. "The boy brought him into his family five years ago, back when it was only two years old and he was five, and watched it grow to the size we see here today. It felt indebted to him for freeing it from the cage they put the creature in and made it an obligation to protect him. Quite an interesting tale."

"It was during my birthday, and my father wanted me to choose a pet from a place he later learned was smuggling and poaching animals shortly afterwards, soon followed by him dealing with the group and releasing the known wild animals, the ones already trained being given to men who wanted them or those who could be aided by them." Isao spoke, his voice wavering as Oliver pointed the blade at Susanoo, the beast simply closing its eyes as it laid down. "What's happening now?"

"Now Oliver deals the judgement and sentence he feels necessary for this event." Reginhard responded as he stared at Oliver, already knowing the decision. "And from the color of the blade, the judgement had been decided from the very start."

"What judgement is that?" Elia asked, her gaze looking over to Reginhard in confusion before they heard the snap of a twig, causing her to look back to see Oliver's blade stabbed dead center in the behemoth's skull. Oliver simply said one thing in response as the glow of the blade soon started in the eyes of the behemoth, ripples starting to form on the beasts skin from the force of the attack:

"A second chance."


	14. XIV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You know what's fun about this chapter in particular? This chapter is also being posted ten days after the one year mark that this story was first posted on fanfiction.net
> 
> Now if it had been May, however, then it would've been the official anniversary of this story. And in all honesty, it's probably my favorite one to write since I've come up with the entire thing in my head already. However, my main hope is that people will actually enjoy it as I come back to it and edit it, reworking the stuff needed to get it into a better way of reading. Until that time, enjoy as it slowly shapes itself in it's own form.

Despite the sounds of the area around the house, the birds singing around it and the animals running along the trees above them, it all seemed to stop the moment Oliver stabbed his blade into the beasts skull, as if every life felt what happened as Susanoo's gaze looked back at him, it's eyes glowing the same purple as the blade did. Isao just watched in silence, Elia herself only looking in between Oliver and Reginhard as she tried to process what just happened. "Excuse me for saying this, but I was under the impression that Oliver _wasn't_ going to kill that beast." Elia spoke as Isao fell down on his knees, still processing what had happened while the body of the behemoth began to shake.

"Like I told your brother and you, his actions cannot be understood if you try to place him in a single viewpoint." Reginhard spoke as Susanoo's body seemed to deflate, leaving nothing but the skin around it soon after as Oliver drew his blade from the beast. From what Elia saw, she could've swore she could've seen something move inside of the skin as Isao picked himself up, running over to the remains of the beast itself.

"Don't go circling around the truth, Reginhard, you should tell them upfront since I have no intention of taking this land over or even playing for a position of power." Oliver spoke as he picked up the remains of the beasts, head, swiping his blade straight through the skin and opening it as they all heard a muffled yelp, making all both Isao and Elia look to the source, the small lump that Elia noticed before now moving slowly towards the opening Oliver had made before finally crawling it's way out from inside of the skin, revealing a small animal that only stood at the height of Oliver's knee as it moved up beside him, it's fur coat matted with blood as Oliver looked down at the creature smiling, dropping the mat of skin as he placed his hand on it and closed his eyes. Slowly, the blood covering the creature soon turned a dark black and rose up like a fog around it as the other three watched, soon dispersing to reveal a clean silver coat on the animal, it's form looking like a smaller version of the behemoth it came out of. Oliver only smirked as he rubbed it's head. "And there we go. Sorry about stabbing your forehead like that, I wouldn't have been able to leave the skin off otherwise."

"Susanoo?" came Isao's voice, making the creature look at him and walk over, soon nestling it's head beside the shocked boy. The boy simply stared, too stunned to speak as he reached down to pat the creature, Elia herself walking up to Oliver and looking down at the beast's skin.

"So I guess that this is what you meant by resetting it's time, then?" Elia asked, only getting a slight nod from Oliver as she looked at Isao kneeling down beside the small behemoth, still silent as he stared at the animal that used to be several sizes larger than him as Elia looked back at Oliver. "So what exactly did you do? I've never heard of a spell that makes people younger."

"The darkness I control has many mysteries to it, some even those of us who command it don't understand." Oliver spoke, etching the mystery to it in detail as he looked back down at the pelt. It was then that a smirk began to play on his face as he looked at it, an idea returning to him as he looked back at Elia. "So then, Elia, do you think your brother is up for passing a lie that the behemoth really was killed here?"

Elia just turned her head to him, the look of confusion practically emanating from her face. "Why would you want us to lie with that?" Elia asked as she looked to the pelt, her gaze focused on the seal on one of the arms of the skin as she looked back at the smaller creature, the same seal now gone from it as Oliver chuckled.

"A fun idea that I want to test out, and to see if it will inflict any damage to those who hired those mercenaries in the long run…" Oliver responded as he raised his hands up, the shadows under the skin lifting it up as he looked over to it, moving his hands along the movements of the shadows as the dark mass started to fold the skin together. Elia just watched the event in awe as Oliver kept his focus on it, continuing his conversation with her as he did so. "Those two, if given the proper training and learning, can be quite the terrifying combination if they grow together in their strengths, another reason why I wanted the beast to go through it's aging process again by doing this. If Isao ends up joining the military in another five or six years, the mindset he has will give him the potential to end up rising to a commander easily, if he goes in without the training."

"With it, on the other hand, he could become one of the greatest military minds of his time if he focuses on it." Oliver continued as he set his hands down, the skin of the behemoth now landing neatly folded, with the head of the skin resting at the top of it as he walked over to it, heaving it up with a quick grunt as he looked to Elia, who had snapped out of her trance from Oliver's abilities from what he said of the boy. He then smirked as he lifted the skin onto his right shoulder, patting the mass with his left hand as he walked over to the pathway. "One of the reasons I didn't want you two to kill the behemoth was because of that reason."

"What makes you think he's capable of that much potential?" Elia asked as she looked back to Isao, Oliver just sighing as he walked to his house, motioning for her to follow with his left as he walked up the steps. As Elia started to, however, she noticed Hesperus resting on the side of the houses porch, the shadows seeming to circle around the blade's hilt as Oliver set the Behemoth skin beside it, causing the wood under it to creak slightly from the weight.

"The sword over here is the reason." Oliver responded as he picked up the blade, pulling the hilt straight off in the process as he looked back at her, holding it up as he held the sheath at his side. He then chuckled when he saw her mouth hand open in surprise, placing the hilt back on as he set it back down. "Hesperus, the Sword of Twilight as the maker of it liked to call it. From what I was told by Alegar, only those who are descended directly from the original owner of the blade can draw it, and only those with the same mindset can unconsciously release it's power like Isao did when he drew it. Along with this, the potential for those who have drawn it normally span to some of the highest points, straight to becoming some of the greatest generals of their time. An example of this would be an ancestor to the person who the weapon was made for, a man named Zhang Liao who cut down an army of a hundred thousand with only a small group of eight hundred."

"Really…" Elia spoke as she looked at the blade, her gaze soon turning to Oliver again as he walked over to one of his chairs, sitting down without a care as he looked over to Elia. Oliver only smirked as he guessed what could probably be going through her head: there she was, a known figure of the royal family, and he's there just sitting around as if she was someone else. Elia then sighed as she walked over to the other chair, sitting down beside him as she looked at Isao, now finally out of the stage of shock and walking around the house with Susanoo as Reginhard started his way towards the house. "So what does it mean if you pull the hilt off like you did?"

"It just means that your ambition is far beyond the blade itself, and the goal itself is something the blade and it's user would serve." Oliver responded as he leaned back in his chair, a bit disappointed that his guess didn't lead to anything as Isao walked over to them, his pace quickening from a tug by Susanoo. The two were listening now as Reginhard had made it to the steps, Oliver continuing his explanation of the blade. "If you cannot draw the blade, it means that you have too little ambition to be of any importance to the user, and far too little imagination to even hope to compare to them. If the weapon flies to any of the people who can draw it or to a person who has drawn the hilt, that means that the person who attempted to draw it would've been considered scum by the original owner, and someone who he wouldn't of had a second thought in killing."

"I thought you said that it wouldn't let people who can't change their ways to draw it, and that it depends on the heart of the person." Isao spoke, looking at him confused as Oliver chuckled. The boy remembered what he said, and apparently wanted some explanation as to why he said it.

"I may have decided on some fabrication of the truth." Oliver spoke, making Elia look at him with a hard gaze, one that he easily shook off as he waved his hand. "War is fought with the idea to deceive your enemies. Besides, the idea of the plan was to scare him to a point of such irrational thinking that he'd lead me to any escape routes he'd have at the camp."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it." Elia responded, making Oliver look at her with a smirk as he felt his right hand twitch, soon being enveloped in darkness as he looked down at it.

"You and me both." Came Oliver's reply as he held his hand up, the darkness rising onto his finger tips and dancing as if it was a flame, a faint green glow coming off of it as he kept his gaze on it. "The man who wielded the blade was titled as _'The Blade of Alegar'_ and was considered by many to be one of the greatest warriors to have ever taken up the sword, being the right hand man of Alegar himself. He was justice incarnate, so to speak, doing what was necessary to ensure that absolute justice was dealt, be the person he judged either good or evil."

"Do you know his name?" Elia asked, looking at Oliver with a new insight as he looked back at her, the flames on his fingers slowly dying away as he nodded.

"From the stories Alegar told me, his name was Gaius Aurelius, and he held the title of Lord of Darkness in our arts until a short time before my own arrival." Oliver spoke as he looked to Isao, who was now walking off with Susanoo over to the open patch of dirt to the side of the house as he looked back at Elia, who held a slight confusion in her eyes. "The title is only that, a title. Those of us who control the darkness are designated to several titles, Lords all serving under the rule of a King of Darkness, one of the fifteen users of the darkness that the others and me command. Alegar himself is one of these fifteen kings."

"So does that make you a lord under him?" Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he looked to Isao, his eyes seeming to flicker a light orange that Elia noticed.

"That I shall keep to myself, my princess." Oliver responded as he walked over to the bundle of skin, tapping it with his fingers before it was covered in darkness, soon shrinking even further before it was the size of a lunch box, tied together with a black string. Oliver then looked down at his shirt, noticing the current dust that had accumulated on the uniform as he stood up with the bundle of skin in hand, looking over to Elia with a smirk. "I will say one thing that can hint at my power, and it's that these clothes weren't always the black you see them as this moment."

To that Elia tilted her head at him before he walked over to her, holding out the small bundle in front of her. Now rationally, Elia expected the bundle to need her to hold it with half her strength. When she took it from him, however, she found it to weigh no more than a feather. "I expected this to actually be more than it's weighing right now." Elia spoke as she looked at the bundle, tossing it up as she tested its weight. Oliver only chuckled as he grabbed it from the air before she could catch it, making her look at him with a glare. "I suppose it's some type of magic that you did?"

"Of a sort." Oliver responded as he tapped the string holding it. Elia just took the item as Oliver continued his explanation, her gaze overlooking the item itself. "This string, so long as it's tied, shrinks and lightens the item it's around to the point that you can easily move it. If untied, the string will vanish and the item will regain its original size and weight. Used to use this to smuggle large arsenals of weapons as if they were toys back in the war."

"You'll need to tell me more about this war of yours, it sounds fairly interesting on the tactics you used." Elia spoke as she looked at the item in her hand, making Oliver only nod as she looked up at him. "So then, how do you plan to take Isao and the behemoth to the north?"

"That will be Ksalso's job, given he'll want to explore this place as much as he can." Oliver answered, Isao soon looking at him in shock as he remembered the dragon. "I'm actually interested in seeing how the boy will respond to the means of travel."

Oliver then felt a tug in his head, making him sigh as he walked back down the patio and onto the open area. _'Talk about timing, Ksalso, I was just talking about you.'_ Oliver thought as he walked to the open area beside the house that he had been training with Serphia at. _'How goes the decryption?'_

' _ **The base encryption has been dealt with, and I've finished the first rough draft of the letter if you wish for them to have it.'**_ Came Ksalso's voice, making Oliver only nod as his hand was soon enveloped in darkness. _**'How would you like me to deliver it?'**_

' _Use your fragmented form to deliver it; I'll open up a gateway for you to use and enter by. We need to get the boy and his beast accommodated as well, so be sure to have a room readied afterwards.'_ Oliver replied, soon looking back to Elia and Isao. "Speaking of Ksalso, he's finished his first draft of the letter, if you wish to read it." Oliver spoke, making Elia eye his hand while nodding. Oliver then pointed his hand to the open area, a thick fog soon shooting from it and enveloping the area to around a five-foot radius. When it cleared, however, a large red disk was what rested in the ground. Oliver then sighed as it rose, revealing a doorway that was made of solid steel. "Looks like he was using the elevator…"

"To be fair, you probably didn't ask where he was at the time of the decryption." Reginhard replied as the door to the new pillar opened, Ksalso soon walking out to find the five looking at him, the gem now in the center of his chest. In his left hand were a few of the letters that Oliver had given him in the camp, while in his right was a sealed letter with the crest of Oliver's family on it. "You're still using the seal of our lord?"

"He hasn't asked me not to yet, so I intend to continue it." Ksalso merely responded as he walked to Oliver, his gaze a bright yellow that informed Oliver of what the being was doing at the moment. Elia was looking in between him and the small building with confused eyes, Isao both shocked and confused as he backed up from the ebony man. Oliver had expected as much from the boy, however; Isao had seen Ksalso take care of several beasts in that form, it'd be hard to not be shocked over the fact of his appearance. Oliver then looked back to Ksalso, who was now standing in front of him as he held out the letter in his right hand. "Here is the rough draft of the first letter, as requested. Granted there are others that were closer to decryption than this one, but the contents in it called me to work on it faster."

"Good work." Oliver spoke as he took the letter, his own gaze overlooking the seal as he looked back to Elia. "Did you write it in this countries language?"

"I did, my lord, given the fact that you wanted to give them a copy." Ksalso simply spoke as he looked over to Elia, noticing her gaze on him and the building as he bowed to her. "I suppose you're the princess that he informed me of before my arrival to your lands."

Elia snapped out of her analyzing and looked at the man, then back to Oliver with a quizzical expression before she nodded. "Yes, I suppose I am." Elia responded as Oliver smirked. She then looked back to Ksalso, who now stood straight in attention as his actual height towered over all of them by a foot. "May I ask what he spoke about me?"

"Just that you were a powerful fighter, yet lacking experience in combat against people of your caliber of fighting and tactics." Ksalso spoke, making Oliver sigh as he walked to the red building before Elia could look at him.

"We'll discuss what I said about you in detail later, but for now I need to go inspect the storage of the Dragon's Heart, since you came here at a rush." Oliver spoke as he opened the door to the small building, making Ksalso only nod before he turned and followed suit. Before Oliver went in, however, he looked over to Isao. "So, are you and your friend at your side coming?"

Isao just looked at him confused, processing what the man said. "Why are you asking if I want to go in?" Isao asked, looking at the door warily as Elia looked back to the boy.

"Well for one, it's to see if you'll like any of the rooms in there since you'll be staying in the Dragon's Heart till we reach our destination in the North." Oliver spoke as he looked back to the doorway, soon looking back at the boy as he smiled. "The other reason is that it's a lot more cozy to rest at than the grass out here."

Isao just looked at the door warily, but his thoughts were halted when Susanoo nudged him towards the door. Isao just looked at the now small behemoth before he walked over to the door, soon disappearing in the entrance as Elia looked at it in confusion. "You're taking him to the north by a ship?" Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he heard her surprise. "The path to the north doesn't have that many rivers, certainly none that can carry a massive ship."

"Not all ships travel by water, but that's a discussion for another time." Oliver spoke as he looked over to her, smiling as he did so. "Now if I'm correct from the rumors that were circulating around the town, you're supposed to be getting ready for a party tonight, aren't you?"

"…Yes, I do." Elia spoke as she turned around to her horse, noticing that Reginhard himself had vanished in the middle of all the commotion after his single sentence to Ksalso. As she started walking, she stopped and looked over to Oliver again. "How are you so certain that the man you dealt with was speaking the truth if you were torturing him while planning to kill him anyway?"

"An interesting question, one that can be easily answered if I wanted to." Oliver spoke as he looked down to the letter in his hand, soon remembering that he had yet to give it to her before he walked over to her right side while staring at the trees surrounding the house, soon holding the letter to her. "However, it's one secret that I'll keep, and one that I only use when I deem it necessary since it's something that I hate personally."

Elia just looked over to the letter, taking it from him as she tried to read his expression. "Regardless of your actions, you dealt with a problem that could've proved fatal for our country." Elia responded as she looked at the letter. She then looked to the tied up fur in her other hand as she looked to the sky, now partially cleared. From what she could see, the sun was now close to the upper corner of the sky and starting to set, meaning that they would be expecting her to get ready by now. "…If you'd like, then you can come to the party to speak with us further on the matter, if you're still willing to. This can also give you a chance to meet with us if your friend over there decrypts anything else."

"That's a nice offer, and one I'll take since I need to ask you and your brother a few things once I finish reading my own copy of the letter." Oliver spoke as he turned to the doorway again, his arm now resting on his sword's hilt as he looked to Elia again. "From what I can tell, it seems like war is going to be brewing for your country, so I'd like to know just how you plan to deal with it and if I have to leave or not."

"I'll see if I can do anything on it, and expect a letter to be with Oric." Elia responded, soon looking to the tree line as she noticed a few moving figures in the trees, more than likely the local wildlife. Then, with a sigh, she turned her head back to Oliver. "Do you think you'll be able to find any proper clothes for the party, or will I have to-"

Before Elia could finish her statement, he had walked into the doorway, which soon shut and vanished the moment he did. All that remained was a claw mark on the ground, a light red gleam coming off of it in reflection to the sun. Elia just looked around in shock, soon resting her gaze on the claw mark before she shook her head. ' _Now isn't the time to be worrying over his abilities.'_ Elia thought as she turned to her horse, placing the fur into one of the pouches on it's side. _'What matters now is the ball that's to occur, and to warn people of his arrival.'_

_-Emerial; castle cells, twenty minutes later-_

"So tell me, Orius, what do you know of the attacks that have occurred?" Arlus spoke as he looked at the man, both sitting at a small table while Orius messed with a small bit of food on his plate. Orius, despite his accusations, remained in his own formal attire as instructed by Arlus, the only exception being the chains on his wrists. In Arlus' right hand was a ring, the same ring that Oliver had brought him when he had told them of his interrogation of the man. "All we want to know is who gave you that knowledge on the villagers, especially since we know that you've been sneaking into local taverns to converse with others"

"I have sources for information, not unlike yourself my prince." Orius spoke as he looked at Arlus, making the prince smirk as he looked on the hands of the man. On them were nothing in particular, but what caught his attention was a ring on the man's left hand, a red gem sitting on the top of it in a similar fashion to the one in Arlus' own hand. "I normally go to places they specify directly in order to make sure that I don't jeopardize their information."

' _Something I noticed with these rings, when the person is growing increasingly weary or in fear of their life, the ring itself will glow and send a calming effect into the person, possibly through the nervous system to directly interact with the brain.'_ Oliver had spoke in the room, back when he was talking about the ring itself. _'If your man is actually in on this against his own will, then you'll need to make sure of it through doing something that could ruffle a politician. And given your political status, it shouldn't be too hard for you two to try out.'_

' _Easier said than done.'_ Arlus thought as he watched the man toying with the food in front of him. Despite their current talks, the lord didn't seem to waver in the least when Arlus spoke to him, but did shake and stutter a few times. However, that was the way the man had spoke even in the war room or in the court, and hardly something that would ensure he wasn't being controlled. No, if Arlus wanted to have the man show any signs, he would have to pull no punches, and that was where the food had come in.

"I do have to say though, you hold quite a bit of loyalty in keeping your information circle secret." Arlus spoke as Orius finally took a bite of one of the fruit on his plate, something the prince had been waiting for. "A shame that it's going to go to waste."

"What are you talking about, I haven't even said… anything…" Orius spoke, shaking his head as he seemed to start to sway, pushing himself out of his chair and onto the ground as he tried to get up, realization popping onto his face as he looked to the food. "W…what did you do to the food?"

"Nothing really, just placed a poison laced with a plant that forces those who ingest it to fall into a deep sleep, within this sleep being nightmares unimaginable." Arlus spoke as he got up, soon walking over to Orius as the man backed away, the fear in his eyes now clear as he started to realize what the prince was trying to do. "If you're truly keen on the idea that you haven't done anything wrong, then I am truly sorry for doing this. However, your own life does not way more than the lives of the civilians who live in the city outside these walls. If you want the antidote, you'll have to tell me the information I wish on the mercenaries, along with your informants."

Orius opened his mouth, possibly to spit out something in order to gain some leverage or an antidote in some form, but the moment Arlus was hoping for occurred; the ring on his left hand glowed, flowing up on his arm and over the man as his face seemed to start to calm down. "…So be it, if you're still so keen on nothing." Orius spoke as he leaned back, looking at Arlus as his body seemed to pale. "I guess I'll still be imprisoned here, then, regardless of what your decision will be."

"For a time." Arlus spoke, watching as the man closed his eyes, falling back onto the ground. He then sighed as he checked their pulse, feeling it beating quite well as he soon got up. He then knocked on the table three times, the door behind him soon opening as he looked to the guards, Darius walking in as he looked at the unconscious politician. "Seems like your plan worked."

"It was something that General Yamada had come up with when he had dealt with the Eastern lands before hand, that way to ensure if there were any controlled individuals among us." Darius spoke, soon looking to the ring on the man's hand. The plan the general had come up with was a simple one; to use a poison that only causes paralysis and unconsciousness in order to see the reactions of the people, along with a truth syrum that was laced into it to have them feel as if they were being warned. The compound itself was something that the rings weren't made for due to the plant for the poison only growing in the mountain regions of Emerial, along with being one of the many secrets of the country that only those of the highest positions would know about. "Did it glow like you expected?"

"Indeed, it seems that the hunter who dealt with the mercenaries was right on the mark with his speculation." Arlus spoke as two of the guards picked the man up. He then looked to Darius with a stern gaze, his mind still on the task at hand. "I'm hoping you know how to remove that ring without taking off the man's hand."

"Of course, but it's something that takes at least a few days to occur." Darius spoke as he walked to the food in the room, taking one of the apples that were perfectly safe. "During this time, we have to have him held down by either chains or straps, that way he can't try to kill himself or others during the removal phase. This also means, sadly, that his family will need to be informed of what has happened, as well as the guards of this area."

"Very well, though I doubt this will change my fathers plans to hold the party for my sister, given his stance on our country." Arlus spoke, soon walking out of the room as the man followed. "It's interesting that the hunter can manage so much, despite the difference in numbers for him."

"I'm more impressed on the fact of how much he had decimated the camp, and how he left the leader of those mercenaries." Darius responded, making Arlus nod as he continued his walk through the corridors. Darius assigned some of his best men on the march to the camp, and the reports from the scouts allowed them to learn of the damage the camp took, along with the prisoners that were held at the outside of the camp. "Are you sure that you can trust this man though, my prince? He may have helped a good deal, but there's no telling if this is his own game at trying to take us out from the inside or not."

"Oric seems to trust him, and he even said that Elia's master knew him, so I think he should be given the benefit of the doubt." Arlus responded, looking to the path ahead of them to see a armored figure standing at the entrance, a letter in their hand as Arlus passed them and took it. As soon as he did the figure moved away, Darius watching them as Arlus opened the letter and read it. "It seems that my sister's offered the hunter an invitation to the party tonight, which he took after handing her a rough draft of the first decrypted letter."

"That's unexpected, though understandable given his actions." Darius spoke, looking a bit warily at the letter in Arlus' hand. He then coughed to get Arlus' attention, making the prince look to see his hard gaze. "Regardless of the princess' thoughts, the way he was described to slaughter the men in the area over there was fairly brutal."

"Yes, me and Elia were informed of his actions in the camp by him personally after he told us his own plan for the behemoth, as coded as it was." Arlus responded, nodding to the man's thoughts on the hunter. Oliver, after stating his own plan, had later told them of his actions in the camp, leaving out what he had done to the commander until he learned that there was a party already heading in that direction. "Oric did say that he would instate his own form of justice, as brutal as it may seem. Were any innocents harmed?"

"No, it looks as if they were all in the cages outside of the camp, though the fact he left them in there actually benefitted in their defense." Darius spoke, the two now turning into the main hallway of the castle that led in between the throne room and the entrance. "There were several of the local beasts that were within the camp, though not enough to be of any trouble to the men. What interests me, however, is how the people in the camp were burned."

"He did mention that the clothes of those men would be in tact." Arlus responded, catching Darius' surprise from the corner of his eye as he stopped over at the entrance to the castle. "He didn't apologize for his actions at the camp, but said he would accept whatever punishment we see fit. If he's intending to go to the party tonight, and we gain a substantial amount of information from this first letter, then I may have an idea as for what he can do."

"I see…" Darius muttered, noticing a hint of a chuckle coming from the prince after he did so. The man then coughed, looking to the area in front of them as he went through their discussion in his head. "Shall I call one of the guards to take a letter of invitation to his location?"

"He won't be at his house, as this letter says." Arlus responded as he closed the letter. He then turned his head to Darius, his gaze seeming to analyze the man as he did so. "Have the letter taken to Oric instead. It seems that's where Elia had said it'd go to."

"Then I shall take my leave." Darius responded, giving a slight bow before he turned and headed off. Arlus just sighed as he looked back to the entrance of the castle, seeing the buildings with people moving around them.

' _A war on the horizon, with the possibility of it harming the people in this city.'_ Arlus thought, his gaze rising up to the sky itself as his hands moved to his sides. _'And to top it all off, a hunter who appeared out of the blue one day can control a power I can't comprehend. I wonder if this is a sign of times to come…'_

Arlus then shook his head, bringing his mind back to the present. He may have liked to come up with dreams of his country, maybe even finding a way to improve it's finances, military and food storages every now and again, but it would be nothing if the countries around them continued their wars as they did. The ring on Orius meant one thing for certain; Dalce intended an invasion, and they needed to be prepared for it. For their actions, however, it would not end with thwarting an invasion by them. No, Arlus knew what would come next, and it was a step that his father would hate to take; Emerial would finally have no other choice then to go to war.

_-The Dragon's Heart-_

Isao looked around in shock as Oliver walked in front of him, leading him through the various corridors of the fortress. They had been there for a while, but it seemed that anywhere Oliver had taken the boy seemed to peak their interest, starting from the elevator they had come in at till the corridor's they were currently walking through, a red carpet spanning the area that complimented the grey walls and ceiling, several chandeliers being in the corridors to keep the room lighted with a light orange flame on each. Susanoo, likewise, looked around the area with caution, especially given that they didn't have the strength they did before. "These will be your quarters for the trip north, but you're free to access most of the Dragons Heart and explore it as you will." Oliver spoke as he stopped at one door, opening it to a fairly large room that held a queen-sized bed. Isao just looked at it in wonder as he walked into the room. It didn't bear that many decorations besides the bed, but it held a wardrobe and a few tables that were, if Oliver remembered, made of oak. One of the first things he made sure of with this place was that the area itself had some actual building materials outside of darkness made items, though that didn't count for the rest of the fortress itself. "If you wish to explore any more or require anything, just call for Ksalso by shouting his name. He'll arrive immediately when you do so."

"Of course…" Isao spoke, looking around the room in wonder, Susanoo walking in beside him as Oliver closed the door behind the two and left. As he took a turn through one of the corridors, he soon found himself facing Ksalso, who was now holding another letter, this one not sealed and only neatly folded.

"My lord." Ksalso spoke as he held out the letter, Oliver taking it while nodding as the two began their walk along the corridor. "So then, would you like to hear the report on the stock at the moment?"

"In all honesty, it was an excuse to keep from hearing any backlash from what you said on my comments to Elia." Oliver spoke as they took a turn, leading to a massive room that held a large round table with a stairway behind it. On the table was a map of America covered with statues and miniature tanks in several locations, the old map Oliver had used for strategies in the early points of the war. Ksalso just chuckled as the two walked around the table, soon reaching the stairway before the two walked up the steps. "I'm more interested in what made you say that they'd need to know about the letters."

"It seemed that the letter was given over an invasion force being in the works, with a small group within the city damaging certain structures and buildings, including the castle walls." Ksalso spoke as the two made it to the top of the steps, upon it resting a large black door. Oliver only nodded as he opened the door, leading to a large throne room, in the far back being two doors with a large black throne in the center of the two. "The letter was one to confirm for the receivers to begin mustering the forces and to prepare them as well as possible. The force that it was recommending was a force of two hundred thousand."

"No doubt with most of those being slaves with similar rings to the ones we saw on the mercenary, but it would still take a year at most to muster such a force." Oliver spoke; moving past the throne to the door on it's left as he turned his head to Ksalso. "From what I know of the Eastern kingdom of Dalce, they are constantly doing raids on the borders while having another war to the north. Their raids may be fine for small groups, but an invasion force takes discipline, loyalty and a functioning military force. More importantly, it would thin their forces to try and invade two countries at once, unless they're planning to invade a certain point that can let them march on both in locations that can prove a strategic weakness for both countries. Did they say where they recommended to start the invasion through?"

"Only a city, my lord, which they claimed would be undermanned in a few weeks time from this letters delivery." Ksalso spoke as Oliver opened the door, revealing a massive room. Within it were several rows of books, a chair and desk with several papers placed on it, and an orb that hung suspended above them. The orb itself was the biggest interest to Oliver though, the clear crystalline surface showing the inside of it, a set of axes that seemed to emanate a red glow. Upon the flats of the axes were red glowing words in a dialect that would be considered Gibberish, but to Oliver it still read clear as day: _For the people we are made, and for the people we will be used_. Ksalso just sighed as Oliver looked over the axes, soon walking past the man and stopping by one of the bookshelves. "Making sure those axes are still out of reach?"

"Always have to if I wish to ensure that mistakes aren't repeated, at least until the power within them fades." Oliver spoke as he raised his hand up, a black aura coming off of it as the orb started to float down, revealing several words written upon the crystalline form. "There's always the alternative to purify them, but the amount of lives that would be lost to attain it would be too many… You said they planned to hit a city? What was it's name?"

"Olares." Ksalso simply responded, making Oliver sigh as he lowered his hand, allowing the orb to rise back to it's point of stasis. "I suppose you know of it?"

"Its name is on a few of the items I see in the city, even the mead that I purchased." Oliver responded, walking over to the chair and sitting down as Ksalso walked behind him, a mirror rising in front of Oliver as he looked to the area around them. "Knowing both Arlus and Elia, they'll probably reach the same conclusion I have on it."

"So the city is a place where trade goes through." Ksalso responded, thinking of the possibility himself. "So they deal a blow to the trade of the two kingdoms, and simultaneously move to take both through that point. If dealt correctly, and with the proper resources funneled in, it can deal a massive hit to the economic and social standing of both countries."

"Indeed, which will mean that Arlus will probably try to have me do something to reach the place." Oliver spoke as he looked to his right, his eyes glowing a light orange. "First, however, I'd like to know the reason you're watching us with that tension about you, Reginhard."

To that he heard a sigh, soon finding the old man materialize in front of him as they walked to the table. This time he didn't hold his staff, making Oliver's gaze narrow as the man stopped beside him. "When we were viewing the events of the camp before you cut the feed, back when it had started, Oric had spoken about things he knew about you." Reginhard spoke, his gaze hard as stone as he looked at Oliver. "About your time as a warrior, and some knowledge of the war. Along with this, he spoke of a person called Yamada who he serves and made him swear silence."

"Yamada?" Oliver spoke, leaning back as he reran the name in his head several times. "Given that Isao also bears a Japanese name, I expected his father to be someone from a version of our world, or the reason to be because the world had been imagined in ours by a Japanese writer. To think that some of them could even be from our own world, though, seems close to impossible…"

"Oliver, the man they referred to as Yamada instructed Oric to remain silent until your abilities returned." Reginhard spoke, making Oliver's gaze move to back to him with a look of shock, a heavy weight seeming to move into his chest as he heard those words. At the same time, the area around him seemed to darken as Reginhard continued. "When he was asked to reveal why he knew so much, he stated to Elia to ask her master, to which she called the man 'Instructor' Yamada."

Oliver kept quiet, his gaze hard on Reginhard as he lifted his hand. A shaving knife appeared in it as Oliver kept his gaze on the man, soon looking back to the mirror as he angled the blade on his face. "That would explain why she bore such a similar style to him…" Oliver muttered, slowly starting to cut off parts of his beard as he looked into the mirror. He then sighed as he placed the razor on the table in front of him, the hair that had fallen seeming to melt into the floor as he looked back to Reginhard. "I'll have to ask Oric why this is the case later, especially since I need to get my invitation to the party from him. For now, however, I need to get ready for that party that is to occur tonight."

"Very well, but don't be too brash when dealing with Oric." Reginhard spoke, making Oliver only nod as the man vanished, his voice remaining as it echoed around him. "He may have hid information, but it was under orders. That is surely something you can relate to."

"Against my better judgment..." Oliver spoke, soon looking back to find Ksalso standing directly behind him. "I hope it's not too much to ask for you to give me a bit of a haircut? I'm a bit worried on what I might end up doing to myself after that information I was just given."

"Of course, my lord." Ksalso replied calmly, holding his hand out before a small hole opened in the floor under it, a pair of scissors soon flying up and into his hand as he grabbed a bit of the hair on Oliver. "I suppose it's too much to ask to let out your emotions on this matter?"

"I'll do it when this haircut is done, specifically in the training area." Oliver responded as he held up his hand, the snipping of his hair seeming to go around him in a blur as he looked at the lines on it, specifically the calluses that had formed from both his training and work in the last year. "It's supposed to be genuinely impossible, but we have a person who bears the blood of the Blade of Alegar in the Dragon's Heart right now. If anything, it's more or less put me into a bit of a lack of emotions at the moment, more than likely just waiting for me to have something to let it out by."

"Do you think that Gaius may have had something to do with it?" Ksalso asked, the scissors soon coming down as Oliver saw the man's hand move to the front of his head, followed by the return of the snipping as he kept his head still.

"It's the only explanation I can think of, given what happened." Oliver responded, placing his hand back down as he closed his eyes, his mind still processing the information. Oliver then recounted the events at Richmond, his mind encompassing the event. "When the missile had hit Richmond, Myrkr had told me that it bore an affinity to darkness, a weapon more than likely gifted to our enemies by the King of Lust herself. While in normal circumstances, from what Myrkr had told me then, anyone who was caught in the explosion would be cast into the primordial darkness, to be either devoured by the darkness itself or to eventually merge into it. If that boy bears a blood relation to an incarnation of Gaius Aurelius, though…"

"I'll have to ask you to stop talking for a bit since I'll be starting with the razor." Ksalso spoke, causing Oliver's mouth to close as he watched the man's hand move to the razor in front of him. "Regardless of what we speculate, we'll get the answer from Oric when you go to get that letter. So for now, just let loose your emotions in the training area, and I'll prepare a set of outfits you'll probably want to use for this party."

"Of course." Oliver spoke as he leaned his head back, feeling the darkness rise up on him and start to move any hair that had fallen on his clothes into the ground. Ksalso may have been blunt in stopping his thoughts, but he was right on the matter of the truth. He would learn it directly from Oric or from whomever he was supposedly under. And, hopefully, he would learn it after he let loose his own emotions on the facts of all of these revelations.

_-Emerial castle, the war room, thirty minutes later-_

Arlus sat in his chair to the left of his father in the war room, the king himself sitting in his chair while Elia stood to his right with the letter in her hand. Though there were several men of high standard in this room at the moment, the meeting wasn't an official one in the least. Among these men were the ones who made the main strategies from the matters that were discussed in the open war room, all tasked with the safety of the country. Elia had just finished reading the confines of the letter when Urius spoke. "So we're going to believe the decryption of a letter that came to us from a hunter?" Urius asked, his voice aggravated as he looked at Elia with a calculated gaze. "Not to mention this hunter is an outlander, at that. What's to say that he's not working for an opposing country itself?"

"He's stated to us constantly that he has no intention of taking the country, and has shown personally how easily he could've damaged our system it if he wanted to." Elia spoke, her own voice calm while showing a hint of annoyance at the man. "Not to mention that we were even given confirmation from Oric on the sincerity of his word, along with the two who serve him."

"That still wouldn't explain why we should trust him." Indlas responded, his gruff voice catching the attention of the others. His own gaze was on the letter itself, his face looking as if there was some revelation from it. "This would explain the lack in raids as of this last month, but it doesn't mean we should truly trust him. Unless there's more than just the word of a retired veteran."

"Oric said that if we wanted to know more about this hunter and why he holds him so highly, then we should ask General Yamada." Arlus spoke finally, making everyone's gaze rest on him as he leaned back. He knew this was going to be the reaction of the officers and officials in front of him when he said those words, in fact that was what he was playing for to ensure that his own idea worked. "If I'm correct, Elia, he used to tell you stories about the general he served under, correct?"

"Yes, on how they could face impossible odds with a smile and find a way to deal with them without any major losses." Elia spoke, noticing where he was going at. "From what Serphia had told of Oliver's tales, he led a group of generals back in his own country in a co-leadership role."

"Indeed, so it could be safe to assume that Oliver himself is the man who he served, especially given the similar accent their voices have." Arlus responded, making the group around them just look around, small whispers being heard as Arlus placed his hands on the table. "Regardless, there's still the matter of the chance of a hundred thousand troops moving into Olares, if the letter is correct. Chances are that, since this is only a confirmation letter, this force is already gathered and is probably scheduled to march on the area regardless. We need to come up with options to deal with this matter."

"The forces are too thinly spread as it is, especially with the provocations from bandit attacks on the western border recently." Came the man beside Urius, making the rest look to him and grant him their undivided attention. "Along with this, there's also the bandit attacks in the Southeast that Elia's army is constantly facing, which they will need to return to shortly. If the case of invasion is true, as well, then we need to keep our own defense forces to the east in their positions to ensure no surprise attacks may come if this information is a ruse to weaken our defenses."

"So all that remains is the General of the North and his forces, who have been aiding the Northern Kingdom with their own problems against the Northern Tribes." Arlus spoke, making the man nod as Arlus sighed. Though he didn't like the fact, this was the full scale of the matter and something he already came to the conclusion of when Elia had presented the letter to him beforehand. "I guess this level of thinking is why you're the master of strategy, Aerius."

"It's a rough draft of what I know, it's far from complete with the little amount of information we have here." The man responded, now looking to Arlus with a slight smile. "Though I'd like to send a messenger to the Northern kingdom to recall the man, I'm guessing that you already have something planned?"

"Something I was hoping could be accepted." Arlus responded, nodding to Elia. Before this event, he had told her of his idea, and she had to have a proper explanation for it herself, but in the end she had accepted it. Elia only nodded as she stood up, allowing Arlus to continue. "As we all know, we can't spare any armies up north if this is the case. We can, however, send a messenger to go warn them of the oncoming threat at post haste, with the hopes to make it there as soon as possible. Since it's also a high risk task given the tribesmen of the north, I'd like to recommend Elia for delivering the information, given she would be able to hold her own far more than anyone we could also send."

"Not to mention her relations with the general and with Yamada, given that he's been training her in combat." Came King Indras, causing the room to become eerily tense. The old man, from what Arlus had gathered, already realized the magnitude of the situation from simply listening to the men, and was coming up with his own plan through them. It was to be expected, however, given he was the one who had led the kingdom during a time of a massive tribal invasion that had momentarily subjugated the Northern Kingdom of Eoric, forcing the rulers to momentarily flee to Emerial with what little remained of their forces before Indras had marched his army against the tribes, forcing them out of Eoric and the capital city, reinstating the rulers and allowing them to make use of their generals to train their troops for better preparation. "It normally takes at least two weeks to reach Eoric's capital, where the march to Olares would then take another week at least, by which time the city would fall. I suppose you have a plan for that?"

"I do indeed." Arlus responded, looking back to the center of the table. "From what Elia has told me, Oliver himself bears a ship that he has stated can travel up north by more than just sea. Along with this, he had stated that he was heading to the northern kingdom to take the boy to there, possibly to find his family, as Elia had learned during her time at his place. It's with that knowledge that I'd like to suggest that she travels with him to the land, in the hopes that he can travel there sooner than any of us can by foot or horse."

"Regardless of that matter, it will depend on whether or not he accepts it, correct?" the king asked, making Arlus only nod as he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the king's decision. With a sigh, Indras looked to Elia on his right, who had was still standing as she looked to him. "I'm guessing that you have trust in this man, given his actions."

"That is the case, my king." Elia spoke, not leaving out the formal title that he held. Regardless of her own thoughts on the matter, when it came to the war room she always made sure she called others by their ranks. "If he did want any power in this country, or if he wanted to harm us in anyway, he wouldn't have gone so far to keep away from the city by living on his own in the forests around the city. Along with this, I've been to the place he lives at; it's far more humble than you'd expect of a warrior or general of his caliber, obviously hand made by the man himself."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's an outsider." Urius spoke, Aerius looking over at the man with a sharp gaze as the man continued. "Sure, he may be on our side at the moment, but the fact that he isn't born of this country still remains. What hope is there to believe that he could hope to aid us with this, if he even is on our side?"

"If I remember correctly, Aerius had a similar discussion with me when I decided on making General Yamada my master of arms several decades ago." Came the king, silencing Urius as the man looked to him. The king then stood up as he looked to Darius, who stood directly behind him. "If I also recall, you had sent a letter to Oric that would grant this man an invitation to the party tonight, correct?"

"Yes, my king." Darius spoke, bowing his head slightly as the man looked back over the table. His gaze seemed to pierce into each man, and every time it rested on a person they seemed to squirm from the pressure. Finally his gaze rested on Arlus, who just looked at Indras as if knowing what he was planning.

"In that case, I'd like to meet this man personally when he arrives." Indras spoke, making the group look at him shocked as the old king smiled under his trimmed beard. "If he is of a great threat, then I shall see it myself from speaking with him just as I did with General Yamada. Until that time, however, the role of the decision shall lay to me and me alone. Now, seeing as we all have to prepare for the party that is to be held in a few hours, I call this meeting adjourned."

To that the group simply stood up, bowing before many of them exited, soon leaving Aerius, Elia and Arlus standing at the table with the king. "So then, why trust this hunter so much?" Aerius spoke, his voice now showing a concern that hadn't been there during the meeting. Arlus just smiled as he looked at the man, seeing the cool face he held now gone with a genuine wonder. "I know that you think of him highly due to what he's just done, but Yamada specifically told Oric to only watch him and tell him the truth afterwards. What's to say that it was due to a fear of the possibilities the man may possess?"

"In all honesty, it's a hunch." Arlus spoke, catching his father's look of surprise as the prince placed his right hand on the table, looking down at his hand as he felt the outlines of the table beneath it. "It's true that we don't know much about him at the moment, but he's had several chances to end up killing any of us. He even stated and shown an example that if he wanted to, then he could destroy this entire city with his own powers. Me and Elia saw this from his confrontation with the mercenary camp."

"If that's so, then the current question is why even allow him into the castle?" came his father, making Arlus' smile widen slightly as he looked at the man. Indras then looked at Elia, who held her own gaze as an officer while looking to him. "Why would you accept going with him, as well, if he's more than powerful enough to kill you?"

"Because he's stated to us every time that he's wanted to live in peace." Elia stated, making Indras raise his eyebrows as he looked at her. "During my fight with him, I kept giving him offers of positions. First in army ranks, then even up to several nobility ranks that I'm allowed to offer. Every time he threw them down, and when I offered ranks for his own student he simply replied that she should demand it herself. It wasn't until I had to go with a threat that he actually got serious and dealt a blow that called the fight."

"So a man who doesn't ask for much because he has enough, and only fights when his friends are in danger is what you see." Indras spoke, receiving Elia's nod as a response before he looked to Arlus. "And what do you see, my son?"

"In all honesty, I haven't faced the man in combat, and I've only the reports that my spies have given me." Arlus spoke, looking at the paper in front of Elia, the note the man had given them. "I see a man who bears enough resources to do whatever he would wish to, who will do anything if he puts his mind to it. I also see a man who lives peacefully hunting from the land, never trying to break his word or swindle others from what I've heard. From what one of his own servants had said, however, he's also a man of great ambition, along with a great general who led his country to victory. A man of such potential, ambition, and strength to lead men into a new era, yet lives his life as a hermit happy to remain reclusive of the world; that's what I see."

"I see, so you can only go off of information on the man and the actions he has taken this past year." Indras responded, getting a simple nod from Arlus before he walked away from his chair, Darius following suit as he went to the exit. "I'll take both of your ideas of him into account when I talk to him tonight, if he decides to show up."

With that the man exited finally, leaving the room silent as Aerius looked at the two nobles in front of him. "Well then, I guess I'll be off as well. Need to write out the letters you need, along with finding some escorts that can take them if you can't go with the man." The man stated as he moved away, his gaze overlooking the area as Arlus sighed, sitting back in his chair. Elia just looked at him before she took her own leave, more than likely getting ready for the party if Arlus was correct.

' _So in the end, we still choose to defend.'_ Arlus thought as he lifted his hand, looking at it as he heard rustling in the area outside of the war room, no doubt servants working on fixing the place for the event. _'The strongest army as shown during the previous wars of the central lands, and we choose to do nothing but let the entirety of it all just war around us.'_

Arlus then lifted himself off his chair, soon walking to the exit as he continued thinking these thoughts. He would stand by his fathers wishes, but it may end up to a time where he'll have no choice but to act on his own accord, especially given how things were progressing. Until that push came, however, he wouldn't do anything against the wishes of the court. That honor he would save for when it would go too far…

 


	15. XV

Oric was cleaning the glasses in the tavern as he listened to the bustle outside of it, the building itself completely silent due to the early closing time he had placed. _‘There’s no doubt that Oliver’s going to learn what I know through Reginhard, but the question is how he’ll react to what I had said…’_ Oric thought as he finally finished cleaning the last of the glasses, setting it down with the stack as he looked on the table, a letter that had been instructed for Oliver laying in front of him. As he lifted his hand to grab the paper, however, the door to the tavern opened, making him turn to see a cloaked figure enter. “Didn’t you read the sign? We’re closed.” Oric spoke as he picked up the letter, setting it behind the counter as the figure sat in front of him. 

“I know Oric, but I was told to grab something here.” Came Oliver’s voice from under the hood, making Oric only smirk as he picked the letter back up, setting it down in front of Oliver as the cloak the man was under shuffled. “I still don’t understand the customs of this land, despite the similarities I’ve seen to other cultures.”

“It’s something that can be mind boggling for a time, but it’s not so different from our own culture.” Oric responded as Oliver reached over and grabbed the letter from the table, revealing a clean black sleeve as he took the letter and retreated back into his cloak. “Mind if I ask why you’re wearing a cloak?”

“I decided to get a haircut and shave, so I’m intending to surprise people with that when I arrive, though I think I’ll show you the damage when I’m sure that there isn’t anyone else nearby.” Oliver responded as his eyes glowed a light orange under the hood, allowing light shades of the mans face to appear as he was looking at Oric, the bartender himself seeming to straighten subconsciously. Despite the experience his voice held, his face seemed to be fairly younger through the light as Derek’s mind returned to a earlier picture of the man that he had seen, back when they had been deemed among the most wanted lists at the start of the war. Oliver then sighed as the orange glow vanished, leaning back in the chair as he kept his gaze on the bartender. “In all honesty, though, I’m not wanting to poke around the dirt for any hints on what I want to know, and I already learned from Reginhard of you’re knowledge about me. So instead, I’m just going to be blunt and ask you this: was it Derek who ordered your secrecy on my identity?”

“Well, that was fast on the assumptions, especially for someone like yourself.” Oric spoke, seeing Oliver tense up as the man grabbed a glass from under the table. He then sighed as he placed the glass down, soon turning to the counter with the liquor as he continued talking. “Was it Elia’s fighting style that tipped it off? She has been learning swordplay from him, after all.”

“Along with the fact that Derek is among the only two people who would do something like this even in the war, hiding information from me that I’d benefit from. He always did it to keep me from doing something brash or reckless.” Oliver replied, soon hearing a chuckle from the man as they turned around, holding the same mead bottle that Oliver had kept getting during his time here. “Though with the current circumstances of this land, I can’t understand why he did so this time around. So now the next question; were you a soldier in the army, or a citizen of Richmond that didn’t manage to make it out?”

“Both, in a sense.” Oric responded as he poured the drink into the glass, an old southern accent now laced in his voice that made Oliver shake his head from the change. The man just chuckled again as he put another glass on the table, pouring another cup as he continued. “Back in our own world, I was Samuel Abbott, a retired veteran who fought back during the war before yours. During that time I served under Derek along with your father, and even during your war I was sending information to Derek about the aid needed in Richmond. Given our current position, however, you know how that went.”

“No kidding, we almost faced the loss of an entire city of over a million civilians, three major generals, and forty-thousand troops that were among our most elite and veteran. That number was fortunately reduced to one general and four thousand men due to Derek’s actions, something I thought cost him his life until now.” Oliver responded, his voice now showing a bit of aggravation as he looked at Oric, his gaze hard on him as he drew his hood back to reveal his face. What Oric saw in full, from what he had guessed through the shading, came out correct: the face of a bearded hermit who didn’t care for the comments of others was gone, and in it’s place was that of a young man with short dark brown hair, his facial features now more prominently noticeable without his beard or hair covering up his face. All in all, however, it was the same as he had seen in the picture, the only difference was the experience that was held in both his eyes and faces, along with the extra years making him seem more in his mid twenties than the early-twenties of the picture. Oliver then took the glass that Oric had poured; soon taking a sip of it as he went through the events he remembered of that day. “I had been feeling guilt on that day for a year now, you know. Unlike you or Derek, or the people who are coming to this world as we speak, that war seemed to have happened only a year ago in my memory. I could still hear the screams in the radios that were coming from Richmond, along with the final battle at D.C.”

“It’s probably because of that reason that he told me to keep quiet on it, that way you wouldn’t do anything that would get yourself killed. It was the same problem your father had back during the war in Europe when he heard of troops that were left behind, which he charged headfirst to save them, similar to what you did in Vermont.” Oric spoke, making Oliver look at him confused as the man smiled. “Like I said, I knew your father and served under him and Derek back in the day, so I have quite a few stories on them.   A lot of us old vets that worked with Derek during the civil war had served under your father originally, upholding a promise we made to him after our final battle together.”

“Yeah, my dad told me about that back before he left the country when he was certain about my resolve: To ensure that our country would remain the land of the free, and that it wouldn’t destroy itself from the inside.” Oliver spoke, a small smile now on his face as he looked at his drink. “He really did lay the foundations for that civil war by hiding the resources he did for us to find, didn’t he?”

“As well as your enemies, if you also recall the bastard that pulled out the location to one of the largest ships we had made.” Oric spoke, picking up his own glass before downing it in one go, setting it down as he poured another drink.   “Though with how you dealt with it before heading to Richmond was quite a spectacle on TV, what with that dragon of yours smashing into it.”

“Speaking of, how the hell did you people survive Richmond?” Oliver asked, making Oric look at him while tensing, the question itself being one that he no doubt anticipated from Oliver and was simply waiting for. “From what I was told by Isaac and Emily, that missile-“

“Would’ve become an entry point for the armies we saw in there, correct?” Oric interrupted, making Oliver close his mouth before he nodded, making the bartender sigh as he leaned back onto the wall behind the bar. His gaze seemed to glaze over as he looked to the door, his mind recounting the events as best as he could. “Though it was true that the armies were to march there, they still had another hour before they could arrive. With that premature firing of the missile, we were given extra time to be able to get the troops and civilians out with that gauntlet you had made for Derek, while the vets who had fought in the previous war decided to have one last fight together.” 

“Derek’s gauntlet, huh?” Oliver spoke, remembering the silver gauntlet itself. It was something that Derek had asked him for when seeing the natural benefit in teleporting through the country to ensure surprise attacks on the enemy, something he loved to call his key to darkness. However, the item itself had it’s limitations. “From what I remember when it was forged, it shouldn’t have been able to handle the stress from teleporting an entire city.”

“No, which is why it was only barely able to send back the city, leaving those who were at the outskirts like myself, Derek and the others behind.” Oric responded, making Oliver nod solemnly. It was during that final battle, three hours after the believed destruction of Richmond, that the city had returned, reinforcements that no one expected to appear that, when Reginhard had noticed them, sent directly to D.C. through the aid of Ksalso while the battle was raging throughout the city. “It took half an hour for Derek to concentrate enough power into the gauntlet to send the city back, but the item fell apart immediately after the deed was done, leaving us stranded while an army of an untold number was making its way to us. It was during that time which two men seemed to appear before us after Derek rounded us up in what remained of the area Richmond was at, one calling himself Alegar.”

“Of course he would be involved. Something like this normally has him tied into it…” Oliver sighed as he set his glass down, making Oric look at him with a grin before Oliver looked back up at him. “Judging from your lack of surprise at me referencing him, I’m guessing that he told you I know him?” 

“The other man told us, one who I don’t know the name of since I was only taking orders from Derek at the time.” Oric responded, lifting his now filled glass and taking a sip from it this time, his gaze overlooking the man in front of him. “If you want to know his name then you should ask Derek personally when you find the time. Regardless of the matter, however, Alegar ordered the man to take us out of there, and lo and behold we arrived here fifteen years before your arrival to Emerial.”

“It’s been fifteen years since the war for you guys?” Oliver asked, getting a simple nod from Oric as the bartender took another sip from his drink, making Oliver shake his head as he leaned forward, processing what he was told. “More importantly, why didn’t Alegar just send you back to our own world? It should’ve been simple enough for one of the first Kings of Darkness.”

“From what he had told us, it would’ve made you lose your concentration in the battle, along with giving those armies we had faced another way in.” Oric responded, making Oliver grimace as he took another sip of his drink. “I suppose you know what that meant?" 

“Yeah, it was the point I decided to break one of my personal codes during the battle, and used a set of weapons I hadn’t used since my mercenary days.” Oliver responded, catching Oric’s eyes seem to flicker from their smug look to that of worry. “Fortunately the items in question were able to be directed to what I wanted to face, so it didn’t end in too many losses. Back to the matter of Derek and you lot being here for thirteen years; does that make Derek sixty or something?” 

“sixty-two, if I remember correctly, and he’s still training and leading troops in this country as if he’s a wellspring of strength.” Oric responded, his smile returning as he stood up straight.   He then leaned forward onto the table, his gaze hard on Oliver as he picked up his glass. “So then, what’s the grand plan for the son of Lester now that he’s regained his abilities and learned that one of his allies is alive?” 

“My first priority is to take the child who I saved up north to his father, who I’m guessing is the guy that helped you all out.” Oliver responded, a smirk now playing along his face as his eyes glowed orange. He then picked up his glass, looking at the contents as he swirled it around. “After that, who knows? I may say hi to him or smash his face in for keeping his survival secret while I’ve been here.”

“For now, however, I do believe you have an hour till the party shall start.” Oric spoke, making Oliver nod before he drained his glass, setting it down as he got up from the table and pulled his hood back over his face. He had made it halfway to the door when he had stopped, looking back to Oric as his gaze no longer held it’s orange glow.

“One more question, if I may ask.” Oliver spoke, his gaze hard on the bartender as the man drained his own glass. “When we had defeated the enemy once and for all, why didn’t you all return?” 

“That I’ll save for Derek, it’s something you’ll want to hear from him.” Oric responded, making Oliver sigh as he turned back to the door.

“Among other things.” Oliver muttered before he went through the door, leaving the room as quiet as it was when he had entered. Oric sighed as he picked up one of the empty glasses, cleaning it as his mind went through what he remembered of Lester. 

“Almost too much like his father.” Oric sighed as he set the glass down, sitting down in his chair again as he looked over to the door Oliver left through.

 

_-Emerial castle, Elia-_

 

Elia sighed as she was looking at the mirror that let her overlook the current dress she had on, this one being a larger dress then the last two that was made of red silk, the fabric and color itself making the dress look great, though Elia still didn’t like it due to how stiff she felt in it. “Still not right? I could’ve swore it worked with your outlook…” came a woman beside her, her brow ruffled at the situation as she moved to the cabinet beside her. “It does look nice though, though it’s really a shame that he wearer doesn’t feel right in it.”

“I don’t think there’s that many dresses I can agree with, Elaina.” Elia responded, hearing a sigh come from the woman this time, making her smile lightly. “You know how I am with dresses that don’t let me move as best as I wish to, especially at parties.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to refuse most of the dresses I find for you for these occasions.” The woman responded, receiving a small laugh from Elia. Elaina herself was someone who had been serving the royal family since before Elia could walk, having been a slave freed by her father and wanting to repay them for the action. During her time here, however, she had worked hard enough to rise to one of the two leading roles of the servants, making sure things stayed in peak condition while she can move to them.

Elaina then came out of the closet with a new dress, this one a light blue as she handed it to Elia, who took it and moved behind a curtain that could keep in between her and the door into the room in case anyone decided to walk in. “What can I say, I’ve gotten used to the armor and military gear I’ve been using for the past year.” Elia responded, making the woman just shake her head as she looked in the mirror. “It’s not like I’m wanting to be looking great for anyone that’s going there.” 

“What of the man you spoke of last night, who you trained with? Wouldn’t he be deciding on something nice to wear for this event?” Elaina asked, soon getting another laugh from the girl as the dress she was wearing earlier flew over the curtain, Elaina catching it quickly as she looked over to the laughter.

“He’s a simple hunter, and he probably doesn’t even give a care for attire from what I’ve heard and learned from him.” Elia responded, though her mind went through the possibility of the man going. Despite his actions as of late, along with his aid during the events with the camp and Orius, he had looked as unruly as he did when she met him, though he had wore a black uniform when she saw him last. “It could be possible that he’s getting himself cleaned up for the event, then?”

“If he regards you and your brother as you’ve stated, then he more than likely is.” Elaina spoke as she folded the dress neatly, placing it on the bed as Elia walked out behind the curtain, the blue dress she was wearing seeming to have her stand out as she tested her ability to walk with it. “As a princess, you should also consider wearing something more formal than your usual attire, even if you are a general of the army.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Elia sighed, looking at the mirror while turning to get a better look at the dress from the side. Alone itself, it looked like it would seem fairly average in the party, not really something that a princess would wear. However, something seemed to snap in Elia’s head as she thought of something, soon walking back behind the curtain as she continued her conversation. “Why would I need to impress a man who I’ve only just met? After a single day, at that?" 

“You’re right, it was silly of me to think so.” Elaina responded, hearing the ruffling behind the curtain as she looked back at the bed. “From what I was told by my husband, the man you invited seems to know a good deal on politics and military tactics.”

“And I’m guessing he told you about him because he couldn’t confide my brother or me that information?” Elia asked, the ruffling behind the curtain momentarily stopping before it continued, making Elaina sigh as she moved back to the closet full of dresses, skimming through them as she listened to Elia. “So why did Yamada tell Oric to keep quiet on Oliver’s accomplishments and identity? Oric said that he was only planning to explain more about him after I talked with Yamada, but it seems like something that’s a bit out of place for someone like Yamada to keep hidden.”

“Due to his actions these past years, and of how loyal he’s been to the crown, correct?” Elaina asked, only receiving a pause in the ruffling as she continued searching through the dresses. “Back before Oric was assigned to the job, he used to tell me all of the stories he had of his country, of the wars fought. What he talked about most, however, was a man known as General Wolcott, an admiral who had commanded his unit along with several other major branches in the military while he was a small time soldier. From what I remember before this year of the mans arrival, he always talked of how the general had extra pressure on him due to his ancestors having aided the founding the country they served. After a time, however, corruption started spreading rapidly through the political tree, and knowing that he’d probably be targeted to either be recruited or executed during his accomplishments from the previous wars, Wolcott resigned from his office and lived his life with his wife and son for a time, later vanishing from any known record. From what he had said, the man who had stayed at the bar the first night he arrived was his son, who your instructor had served during the war he told you of.”

“General Wolcott?” Elia asked, soon moving out from behind the curtain as Elaina looked over, taking a look at what the girl had done, and was relatively surprised. While she was wearing the same dress, she was wearing a black long-sleeved shirt under it, the shirt itself being modified with slight cuts at the sleeves to give it a better look for a dress while complimenting the styling and designs on the blue fabric. Elia just sighed as she looked at the outfit in the mirror, seeming content with it but still thinking on what Elaina had said. “Yamada never mentioned anyone by that name, but he did mention a general whose name was Lester. Would that be the first name of the general you’re speaking of, or a surname?” 

“Indeed, it was the general’s first name.” Elaina spoke, walking away from the closet and to Elia. When she made it to her, she began to tighten the strings on the dress, her gaze over it as she continued. “If I remember Oric’s stories of the man, he had demanded that his closest officers and advisors call him by his first name and that he called them by theirs, mainly due to the fact that the military in their country demanded that the army soldiers were all called only by their last names.”

“Interesting…” Elia simply stated as she moved her hand along the dress, feeling the fabric as she went through what she knew now. “A warrior who fought to free his own country from corruption, the son of a general and descendant of one of the founders of his country. It looks like he has quite a history behind his name to simply become a hunter…”

“Though not much else that you know of on his accomplishments.” Elaina reminded Elia, making the princess sigh as she turned to the mirror. “Now, seeing as how I’m not one for too much gossip, I would say that you should ask him about his past if you’re so interested in it or as to why General Yamada has decided to keep quiet on it.”

“I suppose so…” Elia sighed, ending the conversation as Elaina started to work double time on the outfit itself. However, the fact of the secrecy on Oliver didn’t seem to worry her, rather it put some form of interest in it. For now, though, she’d have to wait until the party begun.

\------------------  

Voices echoed throughout the halls as Arlus walked through them, his eyes set on the latest reports from his spies as he kept his own mind on the events around him. In a couple of minutes the castle would start to see people entering for the party, and every one was doing one last look over to make sure it was all prepared. _‘Strange how quick it can be made and ready, though.’_ Arlus thought as he rolled the reports up, setting them to his side as he looked around his current surroundings.

His steps had brought him to the entrance of the throne room, where the party was to be held, and the place, over all, looked spotless. The area was cleaner than he had seen this morning, and the guards themselves even had more ceremonial armor on, more than likely decorative for the party itself.   Above, hanging on the scaffolds, were several banners of the Emerial crest, each holding a gold lining along each of the banners. All in all, the place looked ready to welcome guests, he just hoped that the throne room itself was just as prepared.

“Well then, this is quite the layout that you all have.” Came a familiar voice as a door opened, making Arlus turn to see a cloaked figure enter. The figure then pulled down their hood, revealing a young man who Arlus didn’t recognize. His voice, on the other hand, was very familiar to the prince as the man walked to the entrance to the throne room. “I suppose that this will be the area you’ll be holding the party?”

“In some regard, though they will be allowed access in a few other areas.” Arlus responded, walking up beside the man as he looked over their attire. “You look quite different from earlier today, Oliver.” 

“That’s it? I was hoping to keep the identity secret for a bit longer.” The man sighed as he lifted his left hand up, feeling his chin as he looked at the door entrance. He then sighed before he looked over to Arlus, a smirk now on his face as he pulled his cloak off. Under the cloak was an outfit that Arlus hadn’t seen before, a white shirt that seemed to be of a marvelous design with a black vest buttoned over it, the color matching with the pants that Oliver was wearing. It wasn’t a design he recognized, especially with the buttons that were placed

“Quite the outfit you chose.” Arlus spoke while he looked Oliver over, the man just smirking as he turned to Arlus. “I’m guessing that this outfit is something that’s custom to your people?”

“It was a gift from a friend, something he wanted me to have as a present for my victories.” Oliver responded, looking at the design of the shirt as he smirked. “In all honesty I was against wearing it since it’s such an expensive gift, but there wasn’t anything else formal that I owned which could fit with this country’s idea of formality.”

“Even then it doesn’t fit, if you didn’t notice my own attire.” Arlus joked, patting the tunic he wore as Oliver looked him over and nodded. Arlus then sighed before he looked back to the door, soon looking to the entrance as he continued. “However, it does suit you in a sense, and seems more practical than what these people try to pass off as formal.”

“I hope so, I was given this and a few other things by a good friend who had a knack for these kinds of designs, as congratulations for my first victory as a mercenary.” Oliver responded as he lifted his arm, looking at the fabric himself as Arlus looked back to him, noticing the slight glazed look on Oliver’s eyes. “It’s strange though, the outfit he gave me as a joke for my preference of the old ways turns out to be used as more than just a fancy antique to leave in a room to look at.”

“Why would that outfit of yours be considered an antique?” Arlus asked, making Oliver only smirk as he looked over to the man, his eyes glowing a light orange. However, the glow faded almost immediately as he looked to one of the windows to his left, one of three large windows which rested at the top of the walls, glancing at the last beams of light that hung overhead from them.

“It’s probably best that I tell you when I return,” Oliver spoke as the prince looked at him, a confused look on his face as Oliver looked back to him. “Sorry about the glow, it’s something that I forgot that I need to keep in check since my powers only just returned today. I hope you didn’t find any form of it malicious.”

“Not at all, though that does remind me of what you had told me before.” Arlus spoke, looking at Oliver as he remembered his earlier meeting with Orlus. He then shook his head, looking to the entrance as the doors opened, a few guests now starting to come in. “You were correct on Orlus and the chances of the ring, which was interesting in the least. What made you guess that to be the case?”

“Other than how the mercenaries had acted and dealt with the borders for who knows how long, I assumed as much from how the man had looked as he was being taken away.” Oliver responded, putting his hands into his pockets as he looked at the slowly approaching guests, now around ten in the room as more started to enter. “The man was shaking, but it wasn’t out of anger or fear as people would assume. When I looked in his eyes, I saw several other emotions that I didn’t see in the mercenary commander’s eyes. Regret, sadness, and, most importantly, self conflict were what I saw in that man’s eyes, all being held back from coming out through an unknown force that has now been revealed.”

“How could you tell that much just from one look?” Arlus asked, now looking at Oliver while a few guests now made it beside them, the doors behind them now opening as some guests greeted the prince. Oliver only smirked as he looked to the man.

“That, my prince, comes from the path of the conqueror, but it’s something that shouldn’t be discussed at the start of a party.” Oliver spoke, soon turning to the inner workings of the now opened door, Arlus doing the same as he heard music beginning to roll out of the room. The hall, despite it’s size and the previous times Arlus had entered it before hand, looked even larger than it did empty when it held long tables along the sides of the room that held different foods, and thirteen round tables that were placed around the remaining edges of the room, seven near the entrance and six near the throne. In front of the throne, however, sat a long table where the king, Elia, and Arlus would be sitting for the festivities, which in itself was a clean table. Oliver then smirked as he walked into the room, looking back to Arlus with a smirk. “So then, would you mind in helping me learn the proper formalities that need to be used when speaking to the nobility of this land?”

“That I’ll be glad to explain while the party is beginning,” Arlus spoke, his mind now focused on what he had planned beforehand. “But first I’d like to ask you about a plan of action I have, and if you’d be interested.”

“That all depends on what this plan is.” Oliver spoke, looking over to the man with an almost amused gaze as he entered the room. Arlus only sighed, his own mind pondering on what the outcome of this discussion may lead to.


	16. XVI

Oliver was leaning his back on one of the walls within the throne room in silence, looking at Arlus in detail as he went through what he had just been asked. He then looked over to the center of the room, where he spotted Elia entering in a light blue dress with white sleeves, far different from the outfit he had faced her in but wasn't something he didn't expect. His gaze then went over the rest of the room, which had quickly filled while Arlus had told him of the formalities of the court, as well as his own proposal that he was hoping for. Then, with a small push, Oliver picked himself off of the wall and stared back at Arlus, the man's gaze looking at him with anticipation and with a fire that reminded him of who the man was to become, and of what kind of path he would take.

"So let me recount what you've told me…" Oliver spoke as he placed his hands into his pockets, a small alteration that he had been thankful to Alegar for when he had received the clothes. "With the information given on the invading force, and the lack of manpower or speed to move any extra troops to aid the targeted trading city, you're asking me, a total stranger, to take your sister to deliver a message to the two generals up north in order to have them aid this city because I intend to head there myself."

"Given the location is a bit further than you may have planned to go, since it's close to the capital of Dalce, but that is the gist of it all." Arlus confirmed, making Oliver just look at him with a slanted gaze before he looked back at the floor where several people had now begun to dance, a slow tune starting to play in the room from a small band in the corner. "I understand that you may not wish to aid us in any of these matters, especially on us asking you this so soon after that camp."

"On the contrary, it's something I anticipated, especially with how short notice it is for that invading force to appear." Oliver replied as he looked back at the man, trying to read what he was thinking. The man wasn't anywhere near shocked at his reply; in fact it looked as if he might've guessed his response to it. "Answer me this, however; is Derek among the two generals up north?"

"I suppose you mean General Yamada?" Arlus responded, only getting a nod from Oliver before the prince took his own look at the room, seeing the small group that had popped up. In total, it looked to be around fifty of the nobles had arrived for this event, more than he expected to show up when the invitations were given out. "From the last reports that we've received, the general is there with the Northern General at the moment, aiding in training the northern kingdom's troops as per our agreement in our alliance. When we last heard, he was aiding in facing the tribes even further north that were coming down south to raid."

"Then I have another reason to head up there." Oliver spoke as he adjusted one of his sleeves, his gaze now looking to Elia again, who was moving around the crowd and looking towards her brother. "I have some questions to ask him, but I guess they'll have to wait until after your invasion hits. As for the matter on if your sister should come with me on the journey, the only question I have is what will the conditions be for taking her along?"

"That will depend on my father, and how his discussion with you will go." Came the prince's reply, making Oliver's raise an eyebrow as a small grin could be seen on his face as he looked over to the prince. Arlus only directed his hand to an area of the room, making Oliver's gaze move to the direction to find a crowned man sitting at the center of the long table discussing with Aerius. "I had offered the proposal to him before asking you, and he decided to speak to you personally to see the kind of character your personality is."

"Of course." Oliver sighed, looking back to where he saw the princess to see her only a few steps away. He then smirked before he walked past the prince, patting his shoulder as he passed him. "Well, I might as well get that out of the way and decide for myself on if I want to. I hope to see you later in the party."

With that he walked off, causing Arlus to turn before he was face to face with Elia walking up to him. "There you are, there's been people noticing you talking to that man for a while." Elia spoke as she looked over to Oliver, making Arlus smirk. "Who was he? And have you seen Oliver, I haven't seen him since this thing has started."

"You just missed him, given he just left to speak with our father." Arlus responded, making Elia look at him confused as she looked back in the direction of the king, noticing Oliver weaving through the small group of nobles with an almost fluid like motion. Then, her eyes widened with realization as Oliver made it to the king, giving Arlus the okay to continue. "Apparently he can clean up rather well, though it is interesting in how young he looks compared to how his beard made him."

"No kidding, I couldn't even recognize him…" Elia muttered, a slight sound of understanding hinting in her voice that caught Arlus' attention before she shook her head, snapping out of her daze as she looked back to Arlus. "So I guess you decided to tell him the plan?"

"Indeed, though his reaction to it wasn't one of immediate eagerness." Arlus responded as he looked back to Oliver and the king, both of who were speaking, as Darius had seemed to appear from behind the throne and stand beside the king. Then, the king got up and turned to the guard, muttering a few words before the three moved towards the door behind the throne that lead towards the hallway that connected it directly to the war room. "I do, however, think he'll accept it when our father gives the question."

"You say that as if you already know that he will." Elia spoke, making Arlus only smile to her, his beard now shining in the light around them as he began to walk towards the long table, the princess following immediately. "What makes you so certain on that assumption."

"Let's call it a hunch." Arlus responded as the two moved through the crowd, the small group of nobles parting as they moved through. "Oliver asked about our customs and formalities in the courts here, interestingly enough. I guess he didn't want to make either of us look bad for inviting a hunter to this banquet."

"Well, at least he keeps that in mind." Elia spoke as she looked around the crowd, causing a few of the gazes to look away as she looked back to Oliver and her father to see the two now exit through the door. "I hope our father doesn't expect to miss the toasting in the banquet. Would be fairly bad manners for the one who had set the party up to not give a speech before the meal."

"He still has a bit before that happens, especially since they only just started cooking the food." Arlus spoke as he picked up one of the apples that had been placed in the food tables. He then took a bite of it as he looked back to the conversing nobles, his gaze overlooking a group of them that was now heading their way. "In the meantime, it looks like we'll be having to entertain the guests."

"Of course." Elia sighed as she looked to where the prince was looking, her facial expressions now changing to a more regal portrayal as the two looked to the nobles approaching. Arlus just lifted his hand, stroking his beard as he began to ponder what could be occurring between Oliver and their father. 

* * *

The war room was darker than when Oliver had entered it the first time, only a few torches being lit around the table as he entered with the king. Darius walked in behind them, shutting the door as Indras moved to his chair in the room, sitting down at it as his gaze moved back to Oliver.

"Please, go ahead and sit." Indras spoke as Oliver looked over to Darius, soon nodding before he moved to the chair directly across from the king, sitting down as Indras looked and nodded to Darius. "You may leave us."

"Very well, my king." Darius spoke, bowing before he walked out of the doorway again, shutting the door behind him. The area remained silent for a while after that, Oliver looking over the king as his gaze bore hard into him. Then, with a sigh, the king leaned back in his chair.

"You don't look as much as I expected, especially with how highly Derek spoke of you." Indras spoke, catching Oliver off-guard as his eyes widened slightly before they returned to their look on the king, making the man chuckle. "It's quite alright, I already know where you come from due to both Oric and General Yamada. However, I will be honest that I wasn't trusted with this news until shortly before you arrived."

"…I see." Oliver finally replied, lifting his hand up as a small cloud of darkness rose from under it, slowly circling under it as he kept his gaze on the king. "Quite a secret for them to tell so openly, especially to a king that could potentially have them butchered for the fact if he ended up afraid."

"One they gave freely, I assure you." Indras responded, his gaze now moving to his right hand as he lifted it as well, allowing Oliver to notice a scar in the center of it that looked to be a circle the size of a small pebble. "It was during a skirmish that I first met him, though neither of us could understand one another. Fortunately, however, we had a general who could translate for us to speak to each other. He asked simply to have a place where he and the men who came with him could live in peace, to which I gladly complied."

"Yet he now serves you as a general." Oliver spoke, making the king chuckle as Oliver twirled the tiny katana in his hand. "I don't suppose it had anything to do with that peaceful life he asked for."

"On the contrary, it was his own choice to ask us this a few months later, after he had conversed with the general who translated for him." Indras responded, making Oliver stop swirling the small blade as the torches around them flickered. "When he asked this, he also made it clear that it wouldn't be a one offer item. He offered his services for the war in exchange for a place to live for his troops at the end of it. It's because of him that our tactics became as great as they are, in fact, and the aid of the Northern General only strengthened our front."

"And I'm guessing that along the lines of that war he started training Elia, and told you of the truth behind the war we fought in." Oliver muttered, getting a nod from Indras as the small blade in his hand vanished. "So then, how much did he tell you about me?"

"Various things, given he didn't expect you to ever come here." Indras replied, making Oliver sigh as he leaned back in his chair. Then, however, Indras' mood shifted into a more serious tone as he spoke again. "However, what we're here for at the moment is the matter of my son's plan, which involves you taking my daughter to the Northern capital."

Oliver only shifted in his seat as he felt the pressure of the man's gaze on him, reminding him of the same feeling he had when he had first spoken with Alegar. "I understand from your son what the plan is, take her to the north with the aid of the Dragon's Heart." Oliver spoke as he looked into Indras' gaze, his own gaze hardened as he matched the pressure in the king's gaze. "I also understand that this isn't something to do so nonchalantly with your family, which is why I understand if you'd have questions on my resolve and priorities."

"I'm full aware of your resolve in actions and priorities from what I learned from General Yamada." Indras spoke, making Oliver smirk as he adjusted himself to where he was resting his head on his right hand, his elbow planted on the arm of the chair. "From his stories of you, I can guess you'd be a valued asset if you decide to fight on a side, and I have no doubt that it's possible given the praise he gave you when he learned of your arrival. However, I still need to understand just what kind of man you are."

"I see…" Oliver responded, closing his eyes as he thought through the king's words. "So then, how do you intend to do that?"

"Actually, I was planning on asking a single question, and move from there." Indras responded, making Oliver open his eyes and look back at the king, the man's gaze now moved to the table in front of him. "Simply put, I'll ask this: what is it that you want, exactly?"

"Well, that's certainly a question I should've expected." Oliver answered, readjusting himself as he set his right hand on the table, his eyes glowing a faint orange as a black pool formed under his fingers. Then, the pool slowly rose into fog over his hand as he looked into the darkness inside of it, his mind rolling through the possible answers. "Simply put, I only wish for one thing: to do what I can to ensure the freedoms of others. The freedom to think as you wish, to look at things at a different perspective while others see something else, to leading a life you wish as all others turn against you. To ensure the freedom of choice, that is what I want."

"Thus the reason you fought for your country." Indras finished, making Oliver nod as his gaze shifted back to the small fog around his hand. "Derek told me that would be how you would respond, if it really was you, given you had only told him and four others that response, two of which are dead."

"Three, actually, though I don't expect him to know of the fifth." Oliver replied, making Indras look at him confused as the man smiled. Then, with a sigh, the fog faded from his hand as he looked up at the king. "So then, did I pass this test of knowing if I was the same man that Derek had spoken of?"

"Indeed, which is why I'll explain a more important matter." Indras spoke, his voice now more serious as he looked at the man. "From what Derek told me, you're an incredible tactician and warrior than even he is. Is this correct?"

"I wouldn't say better, more of that I have a better understanding of certain tactics in guerilla warfare and formation combat while he has better understanding in the militaristic and conventional tactics of our country. It was one of the reasons he was one of my seven generals, including his experience and understanding of the enemy lines." Oliver responded, making Indras nod as his gaze moved to one of the torches that lined the walls. Oliver then noticed the age on the man's face, one he reminded him of his own father, back when he was still training under him. "…Why are you asking that?"

"If possible, during your travel to the Northern Kingdom, I would like for you to train my daughter in the tactics you know?" Indras asked, making Oliver's gaze widen as he looked at the king. The old man just sighed as he leaned back in his chair, looking at Oliver as his gaze kept in it's aged look. "Her troops may be experienced, but she's only managed most of her victories due to the strategies of her commanders and what they see as best. Without them, she would surely lose a battle in tactics."

"So she would have problems with the battlefield in the North if the Eastern army marches in." Oliver responded, making Indras chuckle.

" _When_ they get there, you mean." Indras countered, making Oliver tilt his head to the man in confusion as he processed what the king said. "Arlus may not realize it, or he thinks that I'm too old to understand it, but I've faced the Eastern kingdom long enough to know exactly when they're showing overconfidence with reason. If they've written that they're planning to send a large-scale force, then they're doing that with the plan that it will be both the main force and a diversion for a sabotage."

"The sabotage being from those mercenaries that I faced?" Oliver asked, only getting a slight nod as confirmation. Oliver then chuckled, his gaze overlooking the table as he went through the possibility. "That does make sense, but that would require both the money and resources to enact it."

"Something that the Eastern Kingdom is abundant of due to it's mines and slave trade." Indras responded, making Oliver look up confused. "In revealing that letter, they more than likely have hopes to use it as a chance to weaken the inner parts of the country as the borders are reinforced. This can grant them the chance to sack many of the major cities within our country, as well as damage any supply lines to the bordering troops."

"Quite the speculation, especially for a king." Oliver muttered, raising his hand as a small castle rose from under it, his gaze keeping on the king's as they looked down at the small structure. "I suppose you have some reasoning for this claim?"

"It's the same tactic that the current rulers of their country had done to overthrow their old government five years ago, turning it into the power hungry kingdom we see today." Indras responded, his gaze overlooking the layout of the small castle as Oliver's hand moved from over it. "Unknown to their current government, the youngest son of the old monarchy was visiting us before their civil war began, and unbeknownst to them, he knew many of the secret passageways into the castle without getting detected."

"So he told you of these passageways, and you sent spies to get a report of what happened?" Oliver asked, making the king shake his head.

"I sent my elite to try and save his family, to try and get them to safety due to the friendship I had with them in the past." Indras responded, making Oliver nod as he heard a slight change in the king's voice. "It wasn't until they arrived at the prison cells that they learned the family was killed long before their supposed execution date."

"So began the relations between you and those men remaining neutral." Oliver sighed, getting a nod from the king as he waved his hand over the castle, causing it to fall apart as he got up. "Well, I don't know about teaching her in tactics unless she's willing for it, especially given the training method I know of, but I'll see what I can do for your daughter."

"That would be much appreciated." Indras responded, standing up as well as he looked towards the door. "Now, before we finish this, how would you speculate the best defense against such a force?"

"First I'd need to know the provisions that are available." Oliver spoke as he walked to the door, soon looking back at the king as he stood in front of it. "With a surplus of supplies, I'd find the best option to be to hold in until reinforcements arrive. Without reinforcements or supplies, and with little hope of survival, the best option I'd think of is evacuating the cities and strategizing a counteroffensive. However, this doesn't put into account the possible strategies of the enemy, so I honestly couldn't say as of this moment. As Sun Tzu wrote: _if you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will suffer a defeat_."

"Similar to what Yamada said when I had first met him." Indras responded, nodding to the door. "But enough of talks, it's time for us to return to a party that is being held."

"Very well, my king." Oliver responded, opening the door as he bowed his head. The king only nodded as he walked past the man, seeing Darius standing by the door as Oliver straightened back up. Oliver then looked to the man as he pondered their recent discussion.

' _He reminds me of Alegar, right down to the matter-of-fact demeanor he had over what the enemy could do.'_ Oliver thought as he followed the two men, a small smirk playing on his face. _'I wish I could have seen him at his prime.'_

"So then, Oliver." Indras spoke, snapping Oliver back from his thoughts as the king looked over to him. "How long do you intend to stay for this party?"

"Honestly, I was intending to stay until the food, if there is any." Oliver spoke as he looked to the king, soon looking to Darius as the guard kept ahead of the two. "I'm not one for parties or meet and greets, if my lifestyle as of this past years has anything to show."

"Will you at least stay for some of the dancing? I'm sure that there may be some who you could be persuaded to join you due to the current attire you have yourself in." Indras spoke, making Oliver chuckle as he waved it off.

"Sadly I'll decline, I've never been one for dancing." Oliver responded, getting a sigh from Darius as they turned to the entrance to the doorway that they had left through. "I'll stick around to speak with both of your children over the factors of my agreement on taking Elia, but after the meal I'll be returning to the Dragon's Heart to make the proper arrangements for her stay."

"Of course." Indras responded, nodding as Darius stopped at the door, looking at the two as he held his hand on the handle. "Well then, we better get the introductions for this banquet underway." 

* * *

The remainder of the party itself wasn't much to Oliver's surprise. Outside of a few words and a feast with different food coming from the trade routes that linked to Emerial, there wasn't anything that he found too fancy as he spoke with Arlus. "So my father wishes for you to teach Elia in tactics and strategy?" Arlus asked, making Oliver nod as he looked over to the princess, who was now speaking with some of the nobles. "How do you think she'll take that information?"

"Hopefully well enough, given she has been learning from my former second in command." Oliver responded as he put his hand into his pocket, soon pulling out two rings from it and holding them out to Arlus. "After the party, have Elia take one of these rings. They're my gifts to the both of you."

"What are they?" Arlus asked as he took one of the rings, eyeing it as Oliver noticed Elia moving towards them. "I'd be safe to assume that these have some other truth behind their look."

"They'll let you communicate with me during my travel to the North with your sister, which I'll explain after my departure." Oliver responded as he held the other one up, pointing to a bright red gem in the center of it. "Whenever the gem here starts glowing, then all you need to do is touch it in order to communicate with someone. They also don't allow for eavesdropping on people without their permission, as well, so you can carry it wherever you go."

"Quite a remarkable item." Arlus spoke as he put the ring on his right hand, looking it over as Elia had arrived. Arlus just nodded to her as Oliver held up the ring to her, making her take it confused as he readjusted his sleeves. "So I guess you'll be heading out now?"

"Have to, still have a bit of work to do in order to make sure the Dragon's Heart is ready for action, if the need arises." Oliver responded, smiling as he took a slight bow. "Along with this, Isao is still over there with Ksalso, and I'd feel as if I'd be leaving him alone for too long in what he could consider a second prison."

"Very well, though you'll miss some of the dancing." Arlus responded, making Oliver smirk as he waved it off.

"I'm not one for dancing, always more for drinking and eating with friends." Oliver responded, lowering his hand as he looked to the two. "I'll see you when I call you, Arlus, and I'll see Elia when she arrives tomorrow."

"Very well." Elia responded, soon looking to her brother as Oliver left. As soon as she vanished, she looked over at Arlus while holding up the ring. "Why did he give this ring to me?"

"It's supposed to be some form of communication, something he intends on telling us both about during your trip." Arlus responded, making Elia look at it curiously. "I don't know the full details, only that it requires the cooperation of both parties in order to work. At least that's what Oliver had said."

"Interesting concept for something so small." Elia spoke, her gaze overlooking it as she noticed a small bird carved upon the red gem. "Detailed in artwork, too."

"Really?" Arlus asked, looking at the ring he had, noticing a different design, this one of a similar bird but perched on a branch. "I wonder if he made these himself, or had someone else make them."

"It will probably have to wait until tomorrow, though, since he's left." Elia spoke, her gaze to her brother as she closed her hand around the ring. "So then, what were you two talking about?"

"The discussion our father had with him, and on how much the old man has actually planned for from his battles with the eastern kingdom." Arlus responded, remembering the earlier conversation. "Though he didn't give any details on the actual plan, what I can say is that I have an assumption from how he phrased it…"

"I suppose I won't be allowed to hear it at the moment since there's a fairly large group around us?" Elia asked, making Arlus nod as he looked at the nobles around them, some just muttering to each other while others made no hiding to the fact that they were watching the two. "Well, I'll just go ahead and chat with some of the party goers a bit more while they're still around. We don't want to make for rude hosts."

"Indeed, and I may very well join you." Arlus responded, making Elia nod as she moved out, Arlus looking at the ring again as he pondered through the possibilities. _'The tides of change are still rising, but there isn't a big blast that has hit yet.'_ Arlus thought as he looked back to the nobles. _'With how Oliver had placed his words earlier, there's the definite fact that war will begin soon. However, what should be the right option to deal with it if my father's plan fails…'_

Arlus then sighed as he made his way to a small group of nobles. Now wasn't the time for wondering about the future, now was the time for focusing on the present. A question, however, still remained within the back of his head: what would Oliver and Elia find north?

_-Ksalso and Isao-_

Ksalso stood in a large training ground, a small target a few yards ahead of him as Isao walked along the edge, Susanoo laying beside him as they watched the man. In the ebony man's hand was a pistol, a weapon he had from the massive cache that still resided within the Dragon's Heart. _'Oliver's body has taken to this world incredibly, despite it being another realm from his own.'_ Ksalso thought to himself, pointing the pistol to the target as he focused his aim on it. _'However, that doesn't mean that these items will have the same effect.'_

With that in mind, he looked over to Isao, who had now walked right behind the target. "Boy, I would like to ask that you get out from behind that target." Ksalso spoke, his voice echoing over to Isao as the boy and the small behemoth looked over at him. "That is, if you like living."

Isao only nodded, squirming out from behind it quickly as Susanoo followed behind. Ksalso then let out a small chuckle, his gaze back on the target as he waited for the boy to get away far enough. There were three options on what could happen with the weapon; either it would do nothing, fire normally, or something unknown to him. However, he couldn't let Oliver use these weapons without knowing exactly what would happen, which was why he was testing them out in the first place. _'Here goes nothing…'_ Ksalso thought to himself, squeezing the trigger as his body tensed with the anticipation. What he didn't expect, however, was for the gun's ammo drum to explode in his hand, scattering metal all over the area and bounding off the man himself. Isao jumped at the loud crack it made, Susanoo himself moving in front of Isao as the metal fragments landed just a few feet in front of them.

"Well, guess that answer's what would happen with these weapons." Ksalso spoke to himself, looking at his hand, completely unscathed, as it held the handle of what remained of the pistol. The weapon's design, from what he could gather, would still work here. However, gunpowder itself seemed to be amplified tenfold of it's natural power back on earth, making a pistol round the same strength as a frag grenade. As he sighed and tossed the handle away from himself, he felt a tug from the darkness within the area as he looked to it's source, a doorway that led to the training ground. He kept his gaze on it for a few moments before Isao had walked up to him, looking at the debris in shock as the small behemoth followed.

"What kind of item was that?" Isao asked, his voice showing a genuine curiosity as he looked at the handle Ksalso tossed, making the man chuckle as he waved his hand over the ground, causing the debris to fall into the ground as if it was melting into it.

"It's a weapon meant to fire long range projectile's, though it seems that it will be unusable without a proper catalyst." Ksalso spoke, looking over to the boy as they picked up the handle before it could fall through the ground, looking at the detail of it as he lifted it. "While it has worked in the past, it seems that there needs to be some reworking of the weapon type before it can be used properly again."

"Really?" Isao asked, looking at the handle before dropping it, allowing the ground to pull it in as he looked back at Ksalso. "So where are these parts going?"

"To a person who can work on it, one who is the only other person in this place at the moment." Ksalso responded, looking to a now confused Isao as the boy looked at the ground. "The Dragon's Heart has many features to it, one of these being a smith who works around the clock on anything he gets the idea for: Wayland. He's the person who aided in the design of the dagger that Oliver now carries with him."

"The one that he stabbed into his hand back at the camp?" Isao asked, making Ksalso nod as the boy looked back at the ground. "That's incredible… Could I meet him?"

"Maybe, but for today it is time to sleep." Ksalso responded patting the boy's back as he walked to the exit, the boy and beast following in tow as he smiled. "I'll introduce him to you during our travel to the North. He may have something for you to use, if he finds a proper excuse to."

' _Regardless, I'll need to explain this predicament to Oliver later.'_ Ksalso thought as he walked out of the training ring, finding himself in a long hallway as he looked down at his hand, a black smoke moving up from the ground and into it. _'He may not want to use these weapons yet, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be prepared for just in case.'_

* * *

Holy shit that took a while, didn't it? Well, sadly it may be a bit longer as I'm going to focus on my other story for a few chapters, though I do promise that now these chapters should be going a lot faster. Main reason for this: This was the biggest stump in my head since I only thought of all the things around it and never this chapter in general. However, I'm going to focus a bit more on my Legend of Zelda fanfic for the next month, as I've started to get inspiration for that story back from the recent release of Breath of the Wild. In the meantime, be sure to tell me if I should work on anything on this, and give me any reviews on how you've found the stories. And sorry for all the talking in this chapter, I promise that these will be rare in numbers here on out.

With that, this is Ron signing out.


	17. XVII

The sun had only begun to rise over the forest as Elia rode up to Oliver's house, the ring that he had given her setting on her right hand as she overlooked the house in front of her. As she did so, she noticed Oliver himself sitting at the flat patch of ground with his legs crossed, looking at Serphia who was swinging with a practice sword. "Focus on where you're striking while also paying attention to your surroundings, otherwise you'll be taken out completely," Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze on her, his head turning slightly as he noticed the sound of hooves approaching. "I won't be here for the remainder of the time, so you'll need to focus more on your training than before if you wish to survive any similar onslaughts to what you had faced yesterday."

"Of course, sir." Serphia responded, looking over at him as she got out of her stance, noticing Elia directly behind him. Oliver chuckled as she stood up in attention, dropping the weapon immediately as she bowed to Elia. "Your majesty."

"At ease," Elia spoke, getting off of her horse as she looked to Oliver, particularly the white shirt and pants he was currently wearing. The man only sighed as he got up, looking at her as he smiled. "I was told to arrive early so as to allow us more time."

"Excellent, that should cut our time by a few hours since Ksalso should have some food ready at the Dragon's Heart," Oliver responded, holding his hand out to the wall of his house facing them, his gaze looking to the horse. "I suppose you'll be bringing the horse as well?"

"Indeed," Elia responded, her gaze still on the outfit Oliver wore. No buttons and the cloth seemed to be all sewn together. It was an interesting concept to her. "I'm guessing this is another form of attire in your country?"

"The shirt is, but the pants are for a more formal attire I use for training," Oliver responded, looking to the wall as the shadows that came from the roof fell down onto it, causing a large door to appear in it's place. With a sigh, Oliver looked back to Elia with a more serious gaze. "I'll warn you now, once you enter this place and we depart, I'll be explaining the truth behind what the Dragon's Heart is. After you learn it, you will either be shocked to the point of no words, faint from the information, or have the event of both."

"I've come to accept that for you," Elia responded, her gaze on the door as it swung open, revealing a stable as Oliver raised his hand to it, gesturing her to enter first. Elia only nodded as she walked into it, Oliver's gaze soon moving back to Serphia.

"Remember, if you need to contact me for anything, just rub the green gem on the bracelet that's in my house. I'll respond immediately." Oliver spoke, making Serphia nod as she looked at the doorway in awe. "Since you're among the few who actually know of the location of this place, I'd like you to have it when I've returned. Gods know that I won't be needing it with the return of the Dragon's Heart."

"Of course." Serphia spoke, shaking her head as she looked to Oliver, her attention now focused on him. "I'll be coming here with Sylphy and making sure the place stays the same while you're gone, given the temporary leave they've given me to recover from the behemoth attack."

"I'll be holding you to that." Oliver responded, pointing to her as he walked into the stable, Elia herself already walking along the path with her horse in tow. "I'll see you when I've returned, Serphia."

With that, the doors swung closed, leaving both Oliver and Elia alone as he turned to her. "You'll find a place for your horse to stay on the far right by the red door." Oliver spoke, walking up to her as he straightened his shirt. Elia only nodded as she looked ahead, finding the place a few feet away, along with a turn right beside the door. When she arrived at it, however, she found a fairly large patch of grass to her left as she took the horse to the stable, finding Ksalso there as he took the reins from her. This time, however, the gem was in the center of his shoulder blades, catching Elia's eye as the man turned to the stable. "Ksalso will tend to the horse while you stay here, and the area itself is wide enough to grant it a good amount of free space to move through. In the meantime, we should take you and your bags to the room you'll be staying in."

"Right…" Elia spoke, looking over to the grassy area confused as she looked up, seeing a fairly bright light above them as they exited through the gold door. "So you said you would explain what this place was, correct?"

"Indeed, and I intend to." Oliver responded as he looked to her, a smirk on his face as the two moved through the hallway to a black door at the end of it, this one of a similar design to the one that Elia had seen before. "The Dragon's Heart is my greatest creation, as you may have noticed, because I've prepared it for everything. Five miles inside of this place, it would take hours to walk it alone if I didn't have the travel means I've placed in it. Some of this is made up for agricultural purposes and preserving wildlife, as you noticed with the stables."

"But how can a ship be able to hold all of this?" Elia asked, making Oliver's smirk widen to a grin as he looked back at her.

"I told you already, this place is a mobile fortress." Oliver responded, the doorway opening as the two walked into a small room, Elia only looking at it confused as Oliver tapped the wall three times. "Ksalso, take us to the top."

To that the room started to shake as the doors closed, making Elia look at it confused. "Wait, isn't he tending to my horse?" Elia asked, making Oliver nod as he leaned on the wall. "Then how is it you're speaking to him?"

"If I had to explain it, then it would take months that we don't have in order to." Oliver spoke as he held up his hand, a black orb forming into it. "So instead I'll ask you one thing: What do you know of dragons?"

Elia then looked at him confused, her gaze now looking to the orb in his hand as her thoughts raced. "There are multiple kinds throughout our world, one of the largest coming from the Eastern countries. Some are even considered deities by tribes to the south."

"In my country, we have no dragons, only legends portraying them." Oliver spoke, his gaze looking into the orb as he went through his memories. "Of these legends, there are tales of dragons who are older than all others, who are masters of the elements. These dragons have lived since time immemorial, and are among the strongest forms of spirits within the spiritual plane. However, they too are born from the hatching of eggs."

"What does this have to do with Ksalso?" Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he looked at her.

"Patience is a virtue, princess." Oliver responded, the orb spinning around his finger as the princess stared at him with clear annoyance. "While these eggs give birth to spirits, they can be tampered with by the mortal world and change into a physical manifestation of the said dragon, if the dragon is willing of course. This is where Ksalso comes in."

"My lord, we are now sky bound." Ksalso spoke, making Elia look up in confusion as the movement from the room they were in stopped.

As he spoke, the doors to the room opened, revealing a large room that spanned yards around, holding an assortment of tables and devices that Elia hadn't seen before. Oliver only smirked as he walked out, Elia following in tow in awe as she looked up. Unlike the rest of the fortress, the area above was a large, glass like roof, revealing the sky above them as Oliver turned back to her.

"Now that we're on our way, it's time I properly welcomed you." Oliver spoke, looking at the area around them with a smile as he turned to the opposite direction of the door, where the clear visual of the back of a dragon's head could be made out. "Welcome to the inner workings of Ksalso, better known to my enemies as The Dragon's Heart. It has been one of my greatest weapons, as well as one of my strongest allies."

Elia just gaped as she noticed the dragon's head directly in front of them, her body shaking as she looked around the place. "What in the world…" Elia asked, her gaze overlooking the area in wonder as Oliver smirked. Oliver just kept his gaze over at the see through roof, seeing the clouds around them as the dragon flew. "This isn't possible…"

"Not with that attitude, it isn't." Oliver responded, looking over to her with a grin. Elia didn't respond as she walked over to the edge of the roof, looking at the scales that it overlooked as Oliver walked beside her. "Right now we're on what people would see as a large red gem on his back, one of five areas like it which can be used to survey the events of a battle. The others go for their own appropriate forms of warfare as well, of course, but this one is the most suited to take in the realization of the situation people are in when they board Ksalso."

Oliver looked back at Elia, expecting her to still be in shock of the situation. However, he soon found her leaning forward, gripping her chest as she looked at the situation around her. His grin quickly vanished as he raised his hand up, causing the darkness under her to rise as she fell over, eyes closed as he ran over to where he could check her pulse.

"Looks like you were right, less than one minute from learning before it overwhelmed her." Ksalso's voice came, the ebony man rising from the ground beside the two as Oliver looked over to him, standing back up. "Though I am impressed that she even made it to the edge of the room."

"It's to be expected, she's learned from Derek, though it has taken its toll on her." Oliver responded picking her up as he walked over to Ksalso before handing her over. Ksalso "However, it's better she gets the full scope of what she just got onto since we don't have the pleasantries of babying her into the truth of the matter, especially since she'd learn about it the moment we arrived at our destination."

"Indeed, she'd probably end up in search of my form, hearing claims of a terrifying beast flying through the skies, striking terror into the hearts of any who gaze upon it." Ksalso responded, making Oliver grin again as he looked to the man. "Shall I take her to her designated quarters?"

"Yes, and make sure that she's alright when she awakens." Oliver spoke, his gaze moving back to the sky above them. "I think I'll cook something for when she awakens, given the stress from this revelation is sure to do something major to her eating pattern."

"Very well then, my lord." Ksalso responded, turning to the red cylinder that the two had come in by as he stopped midway through. "Shall I prepare some of the livestock for you, or will you be using some of the refrigerated meat and spices?"

"I think I'll use the refrigerated, preferably the prime pieces we had gotten back in Texas." Oliver responded, looking to the man with a grin as he watched him enter the cylinder with the princess, the door closing behind them as it went down. "We have a guest, and one I openly made faint from shock, so it's only natural that I make something personally to ask for forgiveness with. Oh, and be sure to tell Isao when it's time to eat."

"Very well, my lord." Came Ksalso's voice from the area again, making Oliver smirk as he turned from the glass. "What shall you do till she awakens?"

"For now, I think I'll meditate on what the King had ordered me to do, and see what I can pull from the items here to help teach her as I prepare the food." Oliver responded, his form slowly falling into the floor as he looked down, his eyes a dark red glow. "With the time frame we have, and given we should be able to make it there in three days if we pace ourselves without that much of a rush, I should have something that's more than enough to prepare with."

_-Arlus-_

Arlus sat in his room as he read through the most recent reports from his network, the red gem of the ring Oliver had given him shining with the sun's rays hitting it.  _'The Western kingdom is growing exponentially after the invasion of a former royal family in the west, and is forcing those to the Northwest to be pressured into paying for their peace…'_  Arlus thought as he read through one of them.  _'In particular, the people of the north eastern canyon areas have been harassed the most, due to the actions of a faction within them that's fighting the Western Kingdom… To add to this, more and more bandits are coming in from the west than we can hope to manage, so we'll need to send someone to deal with them soon.'_

Arlus' thoughts were then interrupted as he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." Arlus spoke, closing the letter as the door opened, revealing Indras as the king entered. "What is it that you want, father?"

"Something that I had intended for you to do at a later time, but current matters have changed things…" Indras spoke, the old man walking towards the desk that Arlus sat at, his gaze on the letters as Arlus himself looked at the king confused. "I believe it's time for you to get your head out of the books, and see the battlefield itself."

"Excuse me, father?" Arlus responded, his voice showing the shock that now phased into his face as he heard his father say those words. "Last I checked, you were adamant on me learning all I could before going out into the field against an actual military."

"And current events have quickened that schedule to where you must have firsthand experience in facing the reality of the situations you have read." Indras spoke, looking down at the prince before he turned and walked to the door. "I have received reports from our scouts in the West of the people of the Northwest requesting aid, specifically in a area known as Putolu. You are to go there with the four thousand soldiers of the royal army and aid them in both training and defending their country from their western invaders."

"Aiding a nearby country which we don't have an alliance with?" Arlus asked, his gaze on the king as he stood up from his chair. "What have they offered in return?"

"In return for these actions, if we succeed in aiding them, then we are to be given trade rights with them in both their mining and metal production." Indras responded, making Arlus' gaze widen. "The area there is known to bear Orichalcum veins in several small regions. As it so happens, the people of Putolu bear such a vein within their country, one which is a closely protected secret and item which they will share in return for our aid."

"So you want me to ensure that they hold up their end of the deal?" Arlus asked, making Indras shake his head as he looked back at the prince.

"I want you there in order to ensure that we uphold our own end of it." Indras responded, making Arlus look at him confused as the king looked back at the desk. "The generals of our country have our people's best interest at heart, but only Derek has ever shown an interest in protecting other countries despite the fact of foreign relations. To add to this, it will be inevitable for us to face the western kingdom with their constant push for power, so we must ensure we can stop some of their actions before they gain too many resources."

"Then why send me alone with some of your men?" Arlus asked, making Indras look back to the prince. "And why with some of your own elite troops, given the force that we have read should be coming soon?"

"As I have said before, the time has come for you to face reality than to rely solely on what you have learned." The king spoke, walking to the window now as he looked at the sky past it. "As much as I would want to deny it, a war is coming, and we need those who are of the highest command to be ready for it. Therefore, this is also another lesson for you. Learn from the men who march with you, and deal with matters with their insights on the events at hand."

"So this is another lesson within a duty." Arlus sighed, standing from his chair as he walked beside his father. His gaze soon went down to the city in front of them as he went through the possible reasons for this. "First you tell Oliver to teach my sister in military tactics while sending her troops back to an area that has relatively low attacks occur around it, and now you're sending me to another region away from the country itself… Tell me this: what do you fear will happen to this city in particular, and how bad can it be that you have to send us away from it?"

"Far more observant on the decisions I've made recently than your sister is, aren't you?" Indras asked, a chuckle soon following as he turned to the door. He then made his way there, opening the door as he turned back to Arlus. "You are to leave tomorrow at dawn, so make the proper arrangements within today."

With that the king left, shutting the door behind him as his son turned to question him further. "Very well then…" Arlus muttered, raising his hand to his chin as he thought through what his father had said. As he turned back to the window, however, the gem on the ring that Oliver had given him began to glow, making him raise his hand to look at it. "Wonder what this is supposed to mean."

As he rubbed the gem with his other hand, he heard a small clap behind him, making him turn to find Oliver standing in front of his bed. "Good job, you figured out how the communication works with it." Oliver spoke, a smile on his face as he sat back, a chair soon appearing where he sat as he looked at Arlus, who had taken a step back in surprise to the event. "I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"How did you come in here without any sound?" Arlus asked, looking at the door to find it shut from when his father had left. He then looked back at the ring, his gaze changing from surprise to understanding as he looked up to Oliver, who kept his smile. "You said communication. I suppose this is the form you spoke of when you gave these rings to me and my sister?"

"Exactly." Oliver responded, reaching to his side before his sword appeared in his hand, pulling it back as he set it on his lap. "The rings are a type of communication that allows you to contact anyone who is holding a similar ring, myself included. Too add to this, you can also decide to have them listen into any conversations you're having with other people or not, depending on the situation you're in. However, the ring only lets you see the person wearing the ring and anything they have full contact with at the time, with the sole exception of anything your feet touch since people normally are wearing shoes, making it null and void."

"Quite a handy item." Arlus spoke, looking at the ring as the red glow now gave a faint pulse, too dim for anyone to see without looking close to it. Arlus then looked back to Oliver, who was now cleaning the blade in his hand with a white cloth. "So how has Elia taken to your accommodations?"

"I'm not sure yet, though I do know she passed out from shock when I showed her the top of the Dragon's Heart." Oliver spoke, making Arlus' gaze widen in surprise as Oliver looked up to him. "It's to be expected, though. The fortress itself is unlike anything that could ever be created in this country even if a thousand years passed, and could only be a thing of imagination."

"What, does it fly?" Arlus asked, his voice showing a slight bit of worry as he looked to Oliver. "More importantly, is my sister okay?"

"She should be fine, I have Ksalso taking care of her at the moment." Oliver responded, the sword in his hands seeming to shine brighter with each time the cloth passed over it. "And I think it's better to show you exactly what the fortress is so you can understand. However, I will confirm that it does fly."

"Why am I not surprised…" Arlus spoke, walking to his chair as his hand moved to his head. As he sat down, his eyes looked back to Oliver, who no longer had his smile.

"I would've eased her into it, but the pleasantries that we've been given by the letters make it a waste of time." Oliver spoke, looking back to the blade in his hand as he set the cloth on the arm of his chair. When he moved the blade over to his side, however, it vanished again. Oliver's gaze then looked back to Arlus. "That also means that I need to make sure on how things are going on your end and the capital."

"Then you've chosen a bad candidate for that." Arlus responded, setting his hand down to his side as he looked at Oliver. "My father's decided to send me with several hundred of his elite troops to go aid a small area in the Northwest called Putolu, which has requested our aid in return for trade rights with their people. I don't suppose you know why he's sending me at this time, do you?"

Oliver just looked at Arlus, his gaze slightly widening as he leaned forward, putting his hands together as he went into thought. "…I believe I know, given what he's told me about it." Oliver spoke, looking at his hands before he looked up. "He probably has plans for you to be a contingency plan for if his own fails, that depending on the events that will occur in two weeks time."

"So he did confide in some of his plans to you…" Arlus muttered, leaning back in his chair as he looked to the letters on his desk. Then, with a sigh, he turned back to Oliver. "The people of Putolu hold the mining of some of the largest ore deposits within the entire region, with weapons forged from the ore mined being far more durable than others of similar metals. What do you think of all of this?"

Oliver just kept his gaze on Arlus, looking over the man's features before he smirked. "I'd say it'd be an opportunity wasted if you don't go there." Oliver spoke, standing up from his chair as it vanished. He then began walking back, his legs moving through the bed as he placed his hands behind his back. "In warfare, it always helps to have allies which can provide proper munitions and supplies for your troops and generals, especially if the ore can be made into highly durable and strong weaponry. This also provides with a good way to help out with the currency of a nation as it can aid with the worth of the currency in other countries."

"However, I only say this due to what I knew of my own land." Oliver continued, turning back to Arlus as he set his hands back to his side. "For this land, I don't know that much on the metals which reside in it, though I'm able to work with a good deal of them with the smithing I was taught by Alegar. I do, however, see the major gain in obtaining the ability to trade with them for the said ore, as well as making an ally through the agreement your father has made."

"So what you're saying is to go with it." Arlus sighed, looking back at the ring as he contemplated what Oliver had spoke beforehand. "Then what of the plans for the Capital?"

"Simple, just tell Orlus to tell Serphia when she'll need to fill me in with that bracelet I gave her when something seems to be stirring in the capital." Oliver spoke, a smile back on his face as he placed his hand down on something, causing a part of a table to appear beside him as he rested his hand on it. "I may be rusty in some of my tactics due to being in a form of retirement for a year, but that doesn't mean I can't think up some back up plans from the resources I put around the place."

"…I guess that will do then." Arlus sighed, standing up and walking back to the window as he looked back to the city it overlooked, the shadow of the castle noticeable on the area as the sun rose behind it. "I would like to discuss matters further, but I would rather not keep you from whatever you have planned."

"I thank you my prince, and I hope you may find your own path when you leave for Putolu." Oliver responded, bowing his head before he raised it again. "If you ever need to contact me, just focus on the ring on your finger and on who you want to contact. Normally that can work by having your off hand touching it like you did to open the communications. For now, however, I begin on what I have planned for the day."

With that, Oliver vanished from Arlus' room, leaving him in silence as he turned to the room to find Oliver gone.  _'A strange man, but with enough mind to prepare for if events like this happened to his plans.'_  Arlus thought, remembering Orlus' praises of Oliver.  _'If he's not even close to his former self, then I fear of what may have happened if he faced us as he once was…'_

Arlus then turned to his desk, his mind set on writing a letter to Orlus. Then, when the matter was dealt with, he'd make plans on what to do during his travel to Putolu. If memory served him right, it would take roughly four days to reach them. That meant four days worth of parchment and books, though he had a feeling he would have to truly be serious in his own right.

 


	18. XVIII: Strength

When Elia came to, she had found herself in a bed that was far softer than the one she normally used.  As she rose, she also found that her surroundings were different from her own room, making her look around confused before remembering what had happened.   _‘First we had entered through that strange door he made, then… right, The Dragon’s Heart…’_  Elia thought, looking around as she remembered the reveal Oliver had given her.  The inside of a dragon, one who could hold the shape of a human.  As she looked around the area, she found her sword resting at the edge of the bed; only arms reach away from her.

“I see you’ve awakened, Princess.”  Came a female voice, making Elia turn to find a young woman at the doorway to the room, causing her to pull herself to a sitting position as she looked at the woman confused.  The woman only sighed as she walked over to her, her eyes glowing a light green.  “It doesn’t look like you’ve suffered anything too major from fainting earlier, though it would be best advised for you to take small steps after learning the truth of the Dragon’s Heart.” 

“Thank you…” Elia responded, pushing herself up off the bed as the woman moved to the desk that sat beside it, looking over the contents at the top of it as Elia looked her over.  “I don’t think I’ve met you before on here, have I?” 

“Actually you have, though in a different form.”  The woman spoke, her gaze returning to the princess as she raised her right hand, revealing a red gem on it as her eyes glowed red.  “My form and voice may change, but the gem remains so that I can make a physical manifestation from it and any others that are lying around the place.” 

Elia stared at the gem, noticing a familiar look to it as she went through what could’ve made it look so similar.  Then, her eyes slightly widened at the realization.  “You’re Ksalso? But I thought you were a male,” Elia spoke, making the woman laugh as she lowered her hand.  “Is this something you enjoy?”

“When it has the potential to confuse people, then I do enjoy their reactions, but the form and gender I choose are more dependent on what I feel soothes the person I’m with at the time.”  Ksalso responded, her eyes returning to their green glow.  “Though I prefer my actual form that we’re in over the smaller forms, given it fits my spirit more than the rest." 

“Spirit?”  Elia asked, before remembering the story Oliver had told her.  “Right, you’re a dragon of the spiritual plane, whatever that means.”

“It means that while my power is quite large in the physical world depending on the form that Oliver wished for me, it pales in comparison to the power I bare in the Astral plane of this realm.”  Ksalso spoke, making Elia look at her confused as the woman held out her hand.  “Now, while I’m sure this would all be fun to hear, I’ve been given instructions by Oliver to take you around the areas of this level, which you will be sharing with him, Isao and the behemoth Susanoo.”

Elia just stared at the hand, the red gem in it seeming to glow before she sighed and took it, pulling herself up as the woman nodded and turned to the door.  “So how big is this place?”  Elia asked as she followed Ksalso through the door, the two soon finding themselves in a fairly big room that had two stairways.  To their right, she saw the stairs leading down to five different doorways potentially leading to different areas.  To Elia’s left, however, she found herself looking at the stairways going up to a floor where she could only make out a large black door, the design holding what looked to be a dragons head over two white axes. “I didn’t expect it to be as big as this, despite what Oliver claimed.”

“As did most people who had met him prior to the war, though he normally brought them here to get a laugh out of their reactions when they tried to find a way out.”  Ksalso responded as they signaled Elia to follow, the two soon going to the set of stairs leading up.  As they made their way to the top, Elia soon found four more doors at the opposite end of the detailed door, which she now noted holding several letters in a language she didn’t recognize.  “The fortress itself rests around only four sections, which each level consisting of two floors of the fortress, before the major armory that rests at the bottom taking what remains of the space.”

“Major armory?”  Elia asked as they entered the doorway that was directly across from the black doorway, only seeing Ksalso nod as they walked along the red carpet that took up the hallway’s flooring.  Along each were different doors that held the same design, with the exception of a few. _‘Possibly to show what kind of rooms they are?’_ Elia thought as she looked to each design.

“The Dragon’s heart holds several armories in each floor, and provides it’s inhabitants with a means of combat.” Ksalso spoke as they soon found themselves at a fourway split, to which Ksalso turned to their left as Elia followed suit, soon finding a shorter hallway that led to another stairway.  “However, the major armory contains Olivers strongest weapons and failsafe’s, as most of them weren’t moved during his change from here to his castle.” 

“Failsafe’s?” Elia asked, looking at Ksalso confused before the woman turned to her with a smile as they stopped at the stairway.  “If things went wrong or if something he expected occurred?”

“Both, though they all revolve around the same items.”  Ksalso responded, the two soon moving down the stairs as they heard the sound of steel clanging from down below them, as if someone was hammering something.  Elia listened to it carefully as they reached the bottom of the steps, soon seeing an open room to the right of the stairs with a red glow coming out of it.  As if sensing her curiousity, however, Ksalso rushed her to continue following.  “That there is the forge, where Wayland works on weapons and equipment for Oliver with what he has here, though the stores have been running short since Oliver hasn’t been here as of late.”

“Wayland is the smith who forged his blade, then?” Elia asked, making Ksalso laugh as they walked past the area.  Elia just looked at her confused before they had reached a new door, this one with a pair of crossed blades under a round shield.

“The story of who forged Erebus, as well as why, all relies on if Oliver tells you that tale,” Ksalso responded, making Elia look at the figure confused as they opened the door, walking in as they changed form back to the man she had seen before.  Then, as if just noticing the change, Ksalso chuckled as they looked to the end.  “I had planned on showing you the training grounds as well as the weapons which are here, but it seems someone has decided to partake in some silent meditation here.”

Elia walked in the room, confused by what Ksalso meant before she saw the area itself.  The room was massive, more than big enough to carry out a several sparring matches if the choice was given.  Around the area, as well, was a vast assortment of weapons set up in bulk, with various assortments of shields held along the walls.  As her gaze moved over the center of the area, however, she found Oliver sitting cross-legged near the center of the room, his eyes closed as he held his hands on each of his knees.  In front of him was a small orb that was the size of both of his hands, its coloring making seem as if it was dormant in front of him.   As they took several steps, Ksalso raised his hand towards Elia as his steps became lighter, letting Elia understand as she softened her movements while pondering what he could be doing.  As they came closer, however, Elia noticed a light dark mist seeming to move around Oliver, causing a small radius of the mist to surround him that was so light that it was almost nonexistent.

“What is he doing?” Elia asked, her voice a whisper as she followed Ksalso to the other end of the orb, placing it in between Oliver and their current position.  Ksalso only lifted his hand in a hushed tone as he motioned for her to come closer to the orb.

“He is currently processing what to do at the moment, and is meditating on his options while within the Astral Plain,” Ksalso spoke, his gaze keeping to the orb in front of Oliver. “Though my own question is why he has that orb in front of him…”

  
“It’s because I’m processing whether or not to use it for training,” Oliver responded, opening his eyes as the dark mist slowly rolled into him.  His gaze then turned to Elia and Ksalso, his eyes far calmer than Elia had seen it before, and his voice showed the same calm tone.  “Ksalso, you may need to make some food for us, I still have to wait for the meat to be marinated.”

“Of course, would you like anything in particular?” Ksalso asked, making Oliver shake his head before Ksalso began to fade. “Then I’ll come up with something.”

“You do that.” Oliver responded, his gaze returning to the orb as Ksalso vanished. Then, with a quick heave, he pulled himself up from his position, his eyes clouded in thought as he looked over to Elia. “So then, you seem calm for a person who had recently fainted an hour ago.” 

“I’ve had more time to process this place while I’ve walked around it.” Elia responded, looking around the place as she walked past him. “How in the world did you manage something like this?”

“Like I said before, I was given his egg a few years ago, roughly nine to ten to be precise, and this was the end result.” Oliver responded, his gaze remaining on Elia as she passed him. “When given a physical form, according to Alegar, an Astral Dragon that hatches will mold in the form it deems fitting for the person who hatches it. In my case, I needed a fortress that could move around the country, one that couldn’t be taken out in one fell swoop from my enemies.”

“Which leads us to the dragon we’re currently in?” Elia asked, only getting a chuckle from Oliver as she looked over to him. “So, mind telling me who this Alegar is? He’s sure to be some form of importance in your country”

“Alegar is a man who is far older than anyone I’ve ever met, and is by far the strongest man I may ever meet.” Oliver spoke, his gaze moving to the orb in the center of the room as he walked to it. When he had reached it, he placed his hand upon it, his eyes looking over its surface as Elia watched him. “It was from him that I learned how to use a majority of the abilities I was taught, and it was through his teaching of battle that I became what I was.”

“What you were?” Elia asked, making Oliver’s gaze move to her as she looked at him. “You mean you aren’t as powerful as you were before?”

“No, if anything I’m much stronger than I was before,” Oliver responded, removing his hand from the orb as it seemed to hold a dark mist between its surface and his hand. Then, with a quick sigh, he turned his gaze back to Elia with a new determination in them. “However, I find now is the best time to tell you of what your father had told me to do, if he hadn’t already.” 

“He said that I should learn from your example, though I don’t see what I can learn outside of how you fight,” Elia spoke as she looked in between the orb and Oliver, watching as the dark mist in between the two dissipated. “Or is it something that has to do with your powers?”

“That depends on if you want to sacrifice a completely normal life in order to attain said powers, and if you’ll accept the repercussions,” Oliver spoke as he kept his gaze, soon shaking his head as he walked over towards one of the rings in the area, Elia soon following in tow. “Your father wished for me to teach you in tactics and strategy on the battlefield, more than likely troop formations and the best ways to deal with being outnumbered at times.”

“I’m guessing this is due to the fact that I listen to my troops before entering battle,” Elia asked as they exited the area, making Oliver only nod as he stopped at the center of the ring, Elia soon following suit as she looked at the details of the area. The ring itself seemed to be made of sand, which would make fighting on it harder for those who were training in it. “What does he hope for me to learn from you?”

“Outside of understanding the basics of general tactics and how to implement them, you’ll be able to see how they can change depending on the surroundings and the current instances,” Oliver responded as he turned to her. “I don’t know why you’d think otherwise, given that both your father has told me of the high praises Derek had given me, as well as the apparent praise given by Oric during my fight against the camp holding Isao and the other slaves.”

  
“Not to mention that Reginhard had spoken highly of you as well,” Elia confirmed, making Oliver smirk as he looked over to her. However, his confidence didn’t seem to reach her as she looked at him with a glare. “However, Reginhard and Oric both said that you have lost your former vigor in combat due to several failures, despite the victories you did attain. So what I’m wondering is what can I learn from a person whose kept in his own house for a year with little to no interaction of the world around him?” 

“By sucking it up and learning how to learn,” Oliver confirmed, his smirk still on his face as he turned to the wall, looking over the weapons as he heard Elias fist clench. “With how much you’re whining about actually learning tactics, it’s no wonder you have so many openings in the fighting style Derek taught you.”

“How do you know Instructor Yamada taught me,” Elia asked, soon regretting her question as Oliver looked over at her with a smirk. Reginhard had more than likely told him, and he ended up putting two and two together. Not only that, but the fact that he had fought alongside Yamada meant that he probably knew his style almost as well as she did. “More importantly, last I checked you only barely managed to beat me in that sparring match, the end result coming from a do or die move you pulled.” 

“That’s because at the time I only thought it was similar to his style and not the actual thing,” Oliver spoke, walking towards one of the weapon racks as he looked over what rested on it. “Tell you what, if I can make four fatal attacks that you can’t counter, then you have to at least consider the possibility of me teaching you in tactics, or at least giving you the proper reading materials for it.”

“If you want us to have a repeat of two days ago,” Elia sighed as she set her blade down, Oliver soon picking up a katana from the rack and tossing it at her. Elia just grabbed it in shock, drawing the blade to find it completely blunt, but made from a black metal. “What kind of weapon is this? More importantly, why are you giving it to me?” 

“These weapons are all made of specially treated steel forged by Wayland, the smith of the Dragon’s Heart,” Oliver spoke as he picked up two black axes from the rack, making Elia look at him confused as he turned over to her, signaling her to follow him into the ring. “These particular sets, however, are made to ensure that the worst thing you’ll get from these fights is some very nasty bruises. As to why I’m handing it to you, it’s simply because your style best suits that blade over the straight sword you’ve been using, and you should find it much easier to use your style of combat with it after some practice.”

“Speaking of, feel free to get a feel of the weapon before we begin,” Oliver spoke as he waved one of the axes to Elia, making her only nod suspiciously as he sat down, setting both axes to his sides. Elia drew the blade and held it in preparation, finding it’s feel to be as well as Oliver had spoken. She began to take a few swings with the weapon, the steel whistling as she moved around the ring, Oliver watching with a smirk as he set his head on his right hand. Then, just as she was finishing warming up, she looked back at him, the suspicion in her gaze still remaining as she looked. “Feel free to rest a bit, then we’ll actually begin.”

“Why are you giving me this preparation?” Elia asked as she sheathed the katana, sitting down in front of Oliver as he straightened himself up. “More importantly, why are you giving me the ability to use my style to its fullest capacity?" 

“One, because I find it unfair to be facing a worthy opponent without them having the proper preparations they require,” Oliver spoke as he looked up at the roof, his gaze seeming to daze out as a light green glow went through them. “Second, I’ll be fighting you with my true style, something that even Derek has only faced once.”

“You mean to tell me that you were holding back during our match even then,” Elia asked, making Oliver only chuckle as the glow faded from his eyes, looking back at her with a grin.

“Make no mistake, it’s not that I was holding back as it was more that I was choosing the best style I could at the time,” Oliver spoke as he pulled himself up, his hands picking up the axes almost fluidly as he rose from the ground. “To add to that, I had no intention to actually fight until we actually began, so I didn’t really asked what kind of practice weapons you did have.”

“But a set of axes, though,” Elia asked as she kept her gaze on him, watching as he held the axes out as if measuring them. “Not very practical when facing swords alone.”

“Maybe, but it’s still the style that I’m best at,” Oliver responded as he slid the handles down to the blades as he set the axes through the belt he had on. As his gaze overlooked the area, Elia found it more odd that he accepted the deficits of his weapons while he still decided to use them. What kind of game was he playing at? The two stayed there for a while before Oliver looked over to her, pulling the axes off of his belt. “Alright, that’s enough rest, let’s begin.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to practice with those,” Elia asked, making Oliver smirk as he held both axes in preparation, each movement looking as fluid as his stance was during their first match. “I don’t want to end up winning because I had some preparation beforehand.”

“We’ll see,” Oliver responded, his hands tightening on the axes as he looked over to her. “Well then, lets begin." 

Elia hadn’t made a single step before Oliver had jumped forward, swinging an axe down in an arc. As Elia raised her blade to block them, however, she soon found it stopped, and the other axe lightly tapping her stomach. “What the,” Elia asked as Oliver jumped back, a smirk on his face as he prepped his weapons again.

“One,” was all Oliver muttered as he saw Elia immediately prepare an attack stance, her blade soon moving straight towards his chest as she jumped forward. However, he soon swung one of his axes into it’s path, striking it upward as he spun counter-clockwise and had his other axe at her neck before she had a chance to react, causing her to stop again. “Two.”

“How in the world…” Elia muttered as she stepped back, watching Oliver’s grin as she prepared her stance. Oliver then spun his axes in his hands as his grin returned to a smirk, causing her to look at him with annoyance. “So you plan to keep me focused on one axe while you attack me with the other?”

“Not really, I was only pointing out the two major flaws you have when facing an opponent, mainly the fact that you focus too much on certain attacks while also having key openings from putting too much force in your strikes,” Oliver spoke as he took his stance again, this time his demeanor and voice changing to a more harsh tone that made Elias eyes widen as she gripped her weapon. Out of the times she had been talking to him, even the times he explained things or faced the mercenaries, she didn’t ever see or hear his voice or posture like this. “Since you are Derek’s student, and since I know this now, I’m going to show you just how terrifying I can be when I’m truly serious.”

With that, his movements became even more of a blur than she could realize, her stance immediately going into defensive as she was driven back by his strikes. Even with the katana being more keen to her style, it took every ounce of strength to move the blade to block or deflect any of Oliver’s weapons, each strike seeming to immediately move in tow to another. She had taken ten steps back before finally getting a chance to strike down at him, only to find him no longer in front of her. 

“This is the part where you surrender,” Oliver spoke, his axe tapping onto Elias shoulder as she looked back. Oliver’s gaze kept its strength as he lifted his axe, however, as he walked over to the weapon rack, placing the axes in their respective slots as Elia looked at him confused.

“Isn’t that only three times,” Elia asked as she kept her weapon ready, making Oliver only look at her before nodding down towards her body. Elia then looked down, finding nothing at first, and was wondering what he was nodding towards. Then, however, she noticed it: several black marks scattered around her stomach and chest, none of which she had felt during the confrontation but were each fatal in their own right. “How on earth-“

“There’s a difference between losing your former strength and simply refusing to use it,” Oliver interrupted as he walked over to the katana’s sheath, tossing it over to Elia as she looked back up at him in shock. Elia then released her grip on the blade as she caught the sheath, sliding the katana in as Oliver continued. “It is true that I have not fought with the same strength that I did back before I had come here. It is also true that the reason for this is because I’ve yet to forgive myself for the losses caused from my actions or from actions my enemies take to indirectly hurt me. Regardless, neither of these can hold me back indefinitely, especially in a training environment.”

“However, the matter we fought on was of you considering to learn tactics under me, of which I cannot agree to even if it’s the order of a king,” Oliver continued as he turned to the orb in the center of the room, his voice and composure slacking as he moved his arms behind his back. “The decision must be yours and yours alone, not the choice of some father who wishes for their children to learn. If you do not wish to learn from me in strategy or tactics, then I will simply give you the books on the matters that I have and provide the proper facilities to train your mind for it. Until you’ve come to a decision, however, I will simply meditate.”

Oliver then began walking back to the orb as Elia watched him, her gaze once again falling to the marks on her clothes as she went through what he had just said. _‘The decision is mine…’_ Elia thought to herself as she walked over to the weapon rack, placing the katana where Oliver had taken it. Among the weapons in the rack, she saw various different kinds of swords, her eyes finally resting on the axes that he had used as another thought came to her mind, along with the earlier conversation before their fight. _‘He said that he had only faced Derek with a set of axes once. Just what kind of terrifying fight was that…’_

 

_-Twenty minutes ago, Isao-_

 

Isao had been traveling the areas of the Dragon’s Heart again today, with Susanoo following behind. No matter how much he looked over it, he found another interesting place the more he looked through it. Today, however, he had decided to venture through the areas run by Wayland, the smith that worked in the Dragon’s Heart. Despite this, however, Isao had yet to meet the smith of this place, despite seeing different contraptions and items strewn about and recently used. “This is incredible…” Was all Isao could say as the small behemoth followed behind him, the two looking at several different items similar to the one that Ksalso used when they were with him. The weapons each had different designs and shapes, each with papers under them that seemed to be lists written in another language. “I wonder what all these say…”

“They say the problems in each weapon since we entered this place, and what alterations I need to make to ensure that they can work in this land.” Came a deep voice, making Isao and Susanoo turn to find an old man, his face holding a white beard and helmet while his outfit was composed of a white shirt, blue pants and a large black apron. Unlike Ksalso, however, his skin was more tan, and his eyes held a light green gaze that reminded Isao of an old man at the camp who spoke of his grandchildren. “So then, I suppose you’re the two that Myrkr brought in.”

“Mirkur?” Isao asked, making the old man chuckle as he walked over to one of the weapons, picking it up with the paper as he walked out of the room to the room directly across from it, the boy and his pet immediately in tow. “Who’s that? Also, are you Wayland?”

“I guess I am if I’m in here, aren’t I,” Wayland spoke, chuckling as he looked over to the boy. “As to who Myrkr is, which you sorely mispronounced the name mind you, I guess he was going by Oliver around you lot. Wouldn’t be surprised if he was, he always was one for keeping quiet about titles.”

“What are you doing with that item,” Isao asked as they stopped at the workbench, watching as Wayland looked over the weapon as a set of metal cylinders already sat on the table. Wayland just looked at the boy with a smile, soon looking back at the weapon as he picked up a cylinder.

“I’m seeing what changes I need to make with the design to ensure that these guns don’t explode,” Wayland responded, soon moving his hands around the weapon as it seemed to come apart instantaneously. “From the experiments I’ve done with the weapons, it seems that making certain parts of these in a certain width turns the metal more brittle than before, meaning I have to rework most of the weapons in this damn dragon. However, it’s also increased the durability of weapons such as swords or axes, meaning that it could be due to the way the metal is forged for each of these weapons, which would also explain the brittleness of certain swords and shields in this place now." 

“Sounds rough,” Isao spoke, his gaze on the weapon as he looked at the cylinders. “Why not make the stuff thicker and be done with it?”

“Because I also have to take into account that the gun powder used for the ammunition has increased in its potency in this place,” Wayland responded, picking up the cylinder as he poured out a black powder inside of it onto the table, making Isao look at it with interest. “With the way the environment is shaped, it’s increased the potency of the powder to the point that this small amount is enough to make an explosion with the range to take out at least two people if they stand side by side. With that in mind, I also have to think of how big the bullets for each weapon need to be now, and how to properly have the weapons go off without injury. Regardless, it’s going to take quite some time.”

“It sounds like it,” Isao spoke, rubbing his head from all the words he couldn’t exactly understand. From what he knew of the weapons from seeing Ksalso use them, however, he figured they weren’t supposed to function like that at all. “Do you need some help?”

This made Wayland pause in his work, looking over to the boy with a confused look. “Despite you not knowing heads or tails of explosives,” Wayland asked as he looked at the boy, only getting a nod in response as the small behemoth moved to one of the corners in the room and curled up to rest. Wayland then laughed as he saw Susanoo, making Isao look over to find the behemoth already closing its eyes. “Well, since you’ve asked and your friend there is clearly in no rush, I’d be happy if you’d bring me more cylinders like these with the metal caps still on them. I’m going to be needing to work with those a lot.”

 


End file.
